Pathways towards transformative research: An analysis of climate and sustainability research within the Max Planck Society
This project takes the aim of the Climate Action Plan as a starting point for an analysis of the entire climate, biodiversity and sustainability research of the Max Planck Society. Nevertheless, efforts to make research at the MPG sustainable already started several years ago, culminating in the founding of the Max Planck Sustainability Network (MPSN) in 2019 as a grass-roots initiative within the MPG.
When publishing the Climate Action Plan in March 2024, the Max Planck Society proclaimed: “The Max Planck Society is committed to contributing to a future worth living through both its research and its practical actions. The MPG wants to be a role model for how research can be organized in a responsible, sustainable and climate-friendly way.” Measures defined in the Climate Action Plan particularly focus on roadmaps and targets for CO2 reduction: The MPG has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035, with emissions halved by 2029 compared to 2019. But how to design a pathway towards a MPG that works more sustainable and climate-friendly and lives up to the claim of being a role model?
This project takes the aim of the Climate Action Plan as a starting point for an analysis of the entire climate, biodiversity and sustainability research of the Max Planck Society. Nevertheless, efforts to make research at the MPG sustainable already started several years ago, culminating in the founding of the Max Planck Sustainability Network (MPSN) in 2019 as a grass-roots initiative within the MPG.
In a first step, the project takes stock of the relevant research carried out in all three sections of MPG. The analysis focuses ranges on fundamental approaches to technology transfer and possible applications in industry for the Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section (CPTS) and the Biological & Medicine Section (BMS). However, approaches from the humanities and social sciences should also be considered, since research being carried out in the Human Sciences Section (GSHS) further investigates the societal and economic impacts of the climate crisis and the individual and collective agency to foster a more rapid transition towards sustainability.
In addition to an initial review of the research activities of the last two decades, the analysis aims to support self-reflection in research as to which topics and collaborations within the MGP could be of interest in the future. The project investigates completed and ongoing research projects carried out in the MPG, as well as taking into account bottom-up sustainability initiatives and policy decisions. A particular emphasis will be on the Jena MPIs with their focus on climate and sustainability research, with two local MPIs being members in the Earth and Solar System Research Partnership (MPI for Biogeochemistry and MPI of Geoanthropology) and all three institutes, including the MPI for Chemical Ecology, form the Max Planck Research Group Extreme Events. Collaborative and interdisciplinary research play key roles. After all, the MPI of Geoanthropology, developing transdisciplinary approaches to investigate the human-Earth system, is both the central object of investigation and the place of work where this project with its interdisciplinary methods is located.
Methodologically, the project combines different approaches and cooperates with other researchers in the Department “Structural Changes of the Technosphere” on an interdisciplinary basis. The project can draw on important preliminary work of the GMPG-project (“Geschichte der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft” / History of the Max Planck Society), particularly in the field of the history of Earth system sciences. In addition to interviews, the collection and analysis of large amounts of data with the help of digital humanities are carried out. New approaches to topic modeling can help to identify interdisciplinary topic overlaps and clusters that may be relevant for potential cooperation projects.
