The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) was co-founded by Stiftung Mercator and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Both partners are funders of the institute.
Preventing dangerous climate change is one of Stiftung Mercator’s central objectives. In establishing the MCC in 2011, its aim was to drive forward research into viable ways of reconciling economic growth and climate change mitigation, and to strengthen scientific policy advice in this area. Stiftung Mercator is a private and independent foundation. Through its work it strives for a society characterized by openness to the world, solidarity and equal opportunities. In this context it concentrates on strengthening Europe; increasing the educational success of disadvantaged children and young people, especially those of migrant origin; driving forward climate change mitigation and promoting science and the humanities. Stiftung Mercator symbolizes the connection between academic expertise and practical project experience. One of Germany’s leading foundations, it is active both nationally and internationally. Stiftung Mercator feels a strong sense of loyalty to the Ruhr region, the home of the founding family and the foundation’s headquarters.
At the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) researchers from the natural and social sciences from all over the world work in close collaboration to study global climate change and its impacts on ecological, economic and social systems. The researchers examine the Earth system's capacity for withstanding human interventions and devise strategies and options for a sustainable development of humankind and nature. The PIK generates fundamental knowledge for sustainable development primarily through data analysis and computer simulations of the dynamic processes in the Earth system, but also of social processes. Its members publish their research findings in international publications for the scientific community and advise high-ranking policymakers in Germany and abroad. Widely recognized for its strong interdisciplinary as well as solution-oriented approach, the PIK is part of a global network of scientific institutions working on questions of global environmental change. It plays an active role in activities such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), also known as the world's climate council.
MCC was founded jointly by
