Strong interest in the PIK open day

Around 3,500 visitors of all ages took advantage of the event to find out more about the work of the four institutes. A photo gallery with highlights from the day can be found here.

“The Potsdam Institute bears our city’s name – and despite all our international activities, our local and regional roots are of great importance to us,” comments Bettina Hörstrup, Administrative Director of PIK. “It was a great pleasure to see just how vibrant this relationship is. At the open day, our researchers reported that the rooms were packed to capacity for the talks and hands-on activities, and that there were numerous discussions – some of them long and in-depth – at the information stands. We would like to thank the many people from Potsdam, Brandenburg and Berlin for their curiosity and for making this an unforgettable day.”

Click here to visit the joint event website, and here for the full programme. PIK’s contribution to the overall programme included the following 15 items:

1. Drought and the risk of forest fires in Brandenburg and around the world – coincidence or climate change?
   Since 1893, the Potsdam Secular Observatory has been measuring rainfall here on the Telegrafenberg – and has recorded record-breaking drought and, consequently, a risk of forest fires in Brandenburg. At the same time, we were also confronted this summer with harrowing images of fires across Europe and around the world. Is this the “climate crisis”? What science knows about the link between weather and climate. (Christopher Reyer, Thirza van Laar)
   
   
2. Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?
   Specially tailored to the young (and young-at-heart) audience, we offer a journey back to the time 66 million years ago. Back then, the dinosaurs became extinct after having dominated life on Earth for around 150 million years. What do we know about this event? And can we also learn something from it for the present? (Georg Feulner)
   
   
3. World climate conference
   Take a seat in the negotiation poker to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Could the Paris Agreement have looked different if you had negotiated for a country? Our computer simulation allows you to calculate your proposals in seconds. Together we evaluate the results. Afterwards we will know whether more cooperation would have been possible. (Detlef Sprinz, David Zolotov)
   
   
4. Four Billion Years of Climate History in 30 Minutes
   Why has the climate changed in the history of the Earth? How does the climate crisis caused by humans compare to the past? Can we learn something for the future from a look back? The lecture describes the climate history of the Earth, based on sound science and in an entertaining way, from its beginnings to the modern industrial age. (Georg Feulner)
   
   
5. Climate Tipping Points in the Earth System
   An exciting lecture, already tested with grade 10 classes in schools. What you need to know about tipping points and vicious cycles in the Earth system: from polar ice caps and permafrost to rainforests and ocean currents. Why every avoided tenth of a degree of global warming counts. And the good news: there are also positive tipping points. (Valeriia Chorna)
6. Nutrition, the Underestimated Field of Action in Climate Protection
   Here, it's all about the sausage: our expert explains, based on a large research project, what contribution the global agrifood system can make in the fight against global heating. An important element in this: the “Planetary Health Diet”. Following the exciting presentation, there is plenty of time for questions and discussion. (Benjamin Bodirsky)
7. The contentious issue of fuel and heating costs – can the climate transition in Germany be managed in a socially equitable way?
   Cars with internal combustion engines and oil and gas heating are soon to become a no-go, but who is supposed to pay for the switch to fossil-free technologies? Get informed about concepts developed at PIK and widely noted by politicians, which aim to bring climate protection and social justice together under one denominator. With an opportunity for personal conversations following the lecture. (Karolina Rüttgen)
8. How the AMOC, the Atlantic’s giant heat pump, works
   The AMOC, the vast Atlantic heat pump that transports enormous masses of water from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere, is of vital importance to the global climate. It ensures a mild climate in Europe – and it is important that it remains stable in the future. We demonstrate how this works in our ‘ocean current experiment’, which invites you to get involved and discover more.
    
9. Get ready for discussions with your friends: with the educational game “Climate Excuses”
   Too expensive, pointless, and others should do more: the arguments put forward by people who want to put the brakes on climate action are varied. Our researchers have carried out a scientific analysis of this in a renowned specialist journal – and used the findings to develop an unusual entertainment experience. Come along and give it a go with us!
   
   
10. Try it for yourself: How equitable climate action can be achieved in 88 countries
    Carbon pricing is regarded as a key instrument of climate policy: it makes emission-intensive products more expensive and thus steers consumption and investment in a more climate-friendly direction. But who ends up footing the bill – low-income earners or the wealthy? And what are the consequences if the state returns the revenue from carbon pricing to the public? A unique tool makes the findings from our research accessible in an interactive way.
    
    
11. Climate impacts at a glance
    What can we expect in Brandenburg over the coming decades, and what is the situation elsewhere? Among other things, the interactive portal shows trends in record-breaking heatwaves and how mitigation measures can slow down this trend. Where will we still be able to go on holiday in future? Where does the rainwater go? These are the questions we ask ourselves when they affect us directly.
    
    
12. Can you make the food system climate-friendly by 2050?
    Start your challenge on our scientifically-backed app, under expert guidance, of course. Over six rounds of the game, you can take various measures – but be careful: nutrition is, as we all know, a politically sensitive issue! Voters reward improvements and penalise crises. How will you fare? You can find out more about the study behind the game at the talk “Nutrition – the underestimated area for action” (#6).
    
    
13. What is the state of the planet Earth?
    Of the nine “Planetary Boundaries” that define humanity’s safe operating space, seven have now been exceeded. On our “PB Science Spinning Wheel”, you can explore this important analytical concept in a fun way, answer quiz questions and, if you succeed, even pick up a small reward.
    
    
14. Photovoice: The climate crisis through the eyes of the Maasai
    Due to the increasingly unpredictable climate, the indigenous Maasai communities of East Africa are being forced to adapt their traditional way of life – which is heavily dependent on the ecosystem – to the new circumstances. Visitors to this impressive and thought-provoking exhibition, which utilises the “Photovoice” method, are invited to discover the twelve large-format photographs and the accompanying narratives from the Maasai themselves – and, of course, to speak to our researchers about their experiences in the field.
    
    
15. The famous Michelson experiment
    In 1881, in the cellar of what is now the Michelsonhaus,  Michelson first demonstrated his interferometer and was awarded the Nobel Prize for this work in 1907. His experiments provided support for the theory of relativity, and the interferometer’s principle is still used today, amongst other things, to detect gravitational waves. A replica of Michelson’s legendary experiment can be viewed at the original site.  (In collaboration with the AIP)