Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Campuses

The Berlin Campus, formerly the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) and now integrated as PIK's Climate Economics and Policy department (RD5), is situated on the innovative EUREF Campus in Berlin-Schöneberg. This satellite location specializes in economic and social science research at the science-policy interface, developing solution-oriented strategies for governing global commons, climate mitigation, and equitable sustainable development.

• Global Commons Governance: Analyzes management of shared resources like atmosphere, oceans, forests, and social commons such as health and education to prevent overuse and ensure fair access.
• Political Economy of Climate Policy: Examines incentives, barriers, and political dynamics influencing decarbonization, carbon pricing, and international climate agreements.
• Policy Portfolios and Scenarios: Designs integrated policy packages for net-zero transitions, CO2 removal, energy systems, and biodiversity protection using quantitative models and game theory.
• Inequality and Justice: Investigates distributional impacts of climate policies, gender aspects, and pathways to prosperity within planetary boundaries.

The campus emphasizes rigorous economic modeling, empirical analysis, and deliberative processes to provide evidence-based advice to policymakers at regional, national, and global levels. Key tools include integrated assessment models, machine learning for policy evaluation, and open-source software for decision support. Educational activities include policy seminars, executive training in climate economics, and collaborative PhD programs focusing on sustainable finance, trade, and governance.

The Potsdam Campus, located on the historic Telegrafenberg hill in the Albert Einstein Science Park, serves as the primary hub for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). This campus specializes in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research on global change, integrating natural and social sciences to understand Earth system dynamics, climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and pathways to sustainability. Housed in iconic buildings including the former Astrophysical Observatory, it hosts advanced computational facilities and high-performance supercomputers essential for complex climate modeling.

• Earth System Analysis (RD1): Focuses on modeling interactions between oceans, atmosphere, land, and biosphere across past, present, and future climates, developing integrated Earth system models to simulate global change processes.
• Climate Resilience (RD2): Investigates climate impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and societies, with emphasis on adaptation strategies, vulnerability assessments, and regional case studies worldwide.
• Transformation Pathways (RD3): Explores sustainable development pathways, climate risk management, energy transitions, and policy scenarios for limiting warming and achieving net-zero emissions.
• Complexity Science (RD4): Applies machine learning, nonlinear dynamics, network theory, and decision science to analyze tipping points, emergent phenomena, and robust strategies in complex socio-ecological systems.

Research at this campus emphasizes data-driven simulations, big data analysis, and transdisciplinary collaboration, contributing foundational knowledge for international climate assessments like IPCC reports. Specialized training programs, workshops, and PhD schools are offered in climate modeling, resilience engineering, and complexity methods, fostering next-generation scientists.