Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change

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Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC)
Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC)
MCC at the EUREF campus in Berlin-Schöneberg
Carrier: Mercator Foundation and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Facility location: Berlin
Type of research: Application-oriented basic research
Subjects: Economics, social sciences
Management: Ottmar Edenhofer ; Brigitte Knopf (General Secretary)
Employee: approx. 50
Homepage: http://www.mcc-berlin.net/

The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) researches and advises on the question of how freely available and globally important natural resources (e.g. the atmosphere and oceans) can be used jointly and still protected. One of the main topics is the compatibility of economic growth , sustainable development and climate protection .

organization

The institute, based on the EUREF Campus in Berlin, was founded in 2012 by the Mercator Foundation and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The research team is made up of an interdisciplinary team from economics and social sciences. The MCC currently has around 50 employees. The director is the climate economist Ottmar Edenhofer .

activity

The work of the MCC is divided into two areas: research and policy dialogue . The aim is to gain interdisciplinary insights and to impart them as a basis for decisions in politics, business and civil society . The focus is on global commons (i.e. natural resources such as the atmosphere, land, oceans and forests) and the assumption that global cooperation is essential for their sustainable use.

If, for example, one understands the atmosphere as a global common good, then it is not just national, local or regional, but belongs to everyone. In this case, one also needs superordinate rules for everyone so that this resource is not overexploited (see tragedy of the commons ). Other examples of this are overfishing of the world's oceans or the looting of wild animals.

The lack of availability of public goods, which provide access to health care, education, clean water and much more, so-called social common goods, are essential contents of the work of the MCC.

Based on the scientific findings, possible solutions are identified, evaluated and provided.

In August 2020 Birgitte Knopf was appointed to the Expert Council for Climate Issues (Climate Council) .

MCC definition of global commons

research

The research of the MCC is divided into seven working groups and a task force:

  1. Economic growth and human development : analyzing the relationships between economic growth, greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption
  2. Spatial land use and urbanization : Investigation of the connections between urbanization and global environmental changes, especially sustainable development of cities in social and ecological dimensions.
  3. Sustainable resource management and global change : Analysis of possible solutions for sustainable resource management and the provision of public goods
  4. Governance in the multi-level system : Research into institutional prerequisites for achieving the 2 ° C target , and a. possible instruments for a timely entry into sustainable climate policy
  5. Scientific assessments , ethics and politics : Evaluation of the treatment of ethical aspects and diverse interests in integrated, environmental policy assessments
  6. Geographical patterns of production and consumption : Analysis of geographical production and consumption patterns as well as the extraction and trade of raw materials in the world economy and their visualization
  7. Climate protection and development : The importance of building industrial structures and infrastructure for economic development and the resulting climate-related dependencies

Task Force " Financial Strategies for Controlling Global Common Goods" : Identification of political measures for efficient and fair access to global common goods, which can also be practically implemented

In addition to scientific research, political advice is the focus of the MCC's work. A methodological feature is that both areas build on each other and form a kind of cycle: The scientific research results form the basis of the advisory work ("policy dialogue") and the advisory service itself becomes the subject of research as it is continuously scientifically evaluated.

Politics dialogue

Climate protection and sustainable development are long-term and complex interrelated issues. If you use z. B. Biomass to generate "clean" energy to limit global warming, this can lead to increasing deforestation, loss of biodiversity or rising food prices.

A challenge for climate policy: There are still large amounts of fossil raw materials in the soil, most of which have to remain there, as the landfill space for CO 2 in the atmosphere is limited.

This complexity of possible consequences of (climate) political action requires both forward-looking and international considerations. Here it can be the task of science to provide well-founded information without prescribing political decisions. The target groups of the MCC's political advice are e.g. B. Decision-makers in international organizations, parliaments and public administration as well as other stakeholders in companies and non-governmental organizations.

See also

literature

  • F. Creutzig , NH Ravindranath, G. Berndes et al: Bioenergy and climate change mitigation: an assessment. In: GCB Bioenergy. Vol. 5, No. 7, 2015, pp. 916-944. ( PDF , 1.26 MB, English. Doi: 10.1111 / gcbb.12205 )
  • F. Creutzig, G. Baiocchi et al: A Global Typology of Urban Energy Use and Potentials for an Urbanization Mitigation Wedge. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 20, No. 112, 2015, pp. 6283–6288. ( PDF 954 kB, English. Doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1315545112 )
  • O. Edenhofer, C. Flachsland, M. Jakob, K. Lessmann: The atmosphere as a global commons: challenges for international cooperation and governance. In: The Oxford Handbook of the Macroeconomics of Global Warming. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford et al. a. 2015, ISBN 978-0-19-985697-8 , pp. 260-296.
  • O. Edenhofer, M. Jakob, F. Creutzig, C. Flachsland et al: Closing the emission price gap. In: Global Environmental Change . No. 31, 2015, pp. 132–143. doi: 10.1016 / j.gloenvcha.2015.01.003 Revised manuscript ( PDF 692 kB, English)
  • O. Edenhofer, M. Kowarsch: Cartography of pathways: A new model for environmental policy assessments. In: Environmental Science & Policy. No. 51, 2015, pp. 56-64. doi: 10.1016 / j.envsci.2015.03.017 Summary , English.
  • S. Fuss, JG Canadell, GP Peters, M. Tavoni et al: Betting on negative emissions. In: Nature Climate Change. Vol. 10, No. 4, 2014, pp. 850–853. doi: 10.1038 / nclimate2392
  • M. Jakob, C. Chen, S. Fuss, A. Marxen, N. Rao, O. Edenhofer: Carbon Pricing Revenues Could Close Infrastructure Access Gaps. In: World Development. No. 84, August 2016, pp. 254–265. doi: 10.1016 / j.worlddev.2016.03.001
  • M. Jakob, O. Edenhofer: Green growth, degrowth, and the commons. In: Oxford Review of Economic Policy. No. 30, 2014, pp. 447-468. doi: 10.1093 / oxrep / gru026 summary in English
  • D. Klenert, L. Mattauch, O. Edenhofer, K. Lessmann: Infrastructure and Inequality: Insights from Incorporating Key Economic Facts about Household Heterogeneity . Working Paper Version ( PDF , 383 kB, English)
  • D. Klenert, L. Mattauch: How to make a carbon tax reform progressive: The role of subsistence consumption. In: Economics Letters. No. 138, January 2016, pp. 100-103. ( PDF ; 341 kB, English)
  • Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change: MCC Evaluation Report . Berlin March 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016 ( PDF ; 6 MB, English)
  • JC Steckel, O. Edenhofer, M. Jakob: Drivers for the renaissance of coal. In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vol. 29, No. 112, July 6, 2015, pp. E3775 – E3781. ( PDF , 1.13MB, English) doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1422722112
  • C. Von Stechow, D. McCollum, K. Riahi, JC Minx et al .: Integrating global climate change mitigation goals with other sustainability objectives: a synthesis. In: Annual Review of Environment and Resources. No. 40, 2015, pp. 363-394. doi: 10.1146 / annurev-environ-021113-095626

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Website of the MCC . Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Federal government appoints expert council for climate issues - BMU press release. Retrieved August 14, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Malte Kreutzfeldt: Climate protection goals in Germany: Government occupies climate council . In: The daily newspaper: taz . August 12, 2020, ISSN  0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed on August 14, 2020]).
  4. ^ Website of the MCC - Topic Working Groups. Retrieved June 6, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Evaluation report. (PDF) (No longer available online.) MCC, archived from the original on June 5, 2016 ; accessed on June 6, 2016 .
  6. ^ Deutsche Welle: Food for thought on hunger - Globalization - DW.COM - May 26, 2016. In: dw.com. May 26, 2016, accessed May 29, 2016 .
  7. ↑ dpa: Parisian hype: what remains? In: handelsblatt.com . April 21, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Benjamin von Brackel: Climate Agreement: Saving CO2 is no longer enough. In: fr-online.de . April 20, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016 .
  9. ↑ UN development goals: Climate policy must not be selfish. In: zeit.de . March 30, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Dependent on imports: Many developing countries risk hunger. In: euractiv.de. March 9, 2016, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  11. ↑ More courage: Traffic must no longer hold up climate protection. In: wiwo.de. December 29, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  12. ↑ CO2 emissions: traffic emissions can be halved by 2050. In: Spiegel Online . November 20, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  13. ↑ Joachim Müller-Jung: Is it time for reform at the IPCC? In: theguardian.com. November 4, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Rosie Scammell: Vatican enlists 'secular Jewish feminist' Naomi Klein in environmental fight. In: washingtonpost.com. July 1, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  15. ↑ 3sat.online: Media library: Christian Flachsland on the Kyoto Protocol. In: 3sat.de. February 16, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  16. ↑ Low-energy urbanization 'can help climate goals' - BBC News. In: bbc.com. January 13, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  17. ↑ Christopher Schrader: Energy consumption - The hunger of the Moloch. In: sueddeutsche.de . January 16, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  18. ^ Damian Carrington: Leave fossil fuels buried to prevent climate change, study urges. In: theguardian.com. January 8, 2015, accessed June 2, 2016 .
  19. ^ Fixing Climate Change May Add No Costs, Report Says. In: nytimes.com. September 16, 2014, accessed June 2, 2016 .