The project addresses a critical gap in sustainability science: connecting lab-scale innovations to planetary-scale impacts through rigorous multi-scale integration. While experimental research continues to generate breakthrough technologies, and global integrated assessment models evaluate long-term transformation pathways, the crucial intermediate layer linking these domains remains insufficiently developed. In particular, the meso-scale interactions that connect molecular and laboratory innovations with supply chains, agricultural production systems, and macroeconomic dynamics are often poorly represented in current modelling frameworks. This program seeks to systematically bridge these scales by establishing an integrated analytical framework that links experimental parameters and technological innovations to global scenario analysis. By combining insights from laboratory research, sectoral system analysis, and integrated assessment modelling, the project enables a novel connection between technological development, economic transformation, and environmental sustainability outcomes within planetary boundaries.
The objective of this project is to create an integrated multi-scale analytical framework that connects experimental laboratory innovations directly to planetary-scale sustainability assessments, effectively linking localized technological research with global integrated assessment modeling. To achieve this, the initiative enhances macroeconomic modeling by improving the representation of international trade, accounting for climate-driven impacts on labor productivity, and updating climate damage metrics to evaluate the global economic costs of inaction. Simultaneously, it evaluates the variance between current agricultural practices and the land management standards necessary to respect planetary boundaries—specifically regarding land use and nitrogen—in order to guide future lab and field research priorities. In the energy sector, the framework scales up laboratory breakthroughs in hydrogen electrolysis into macro-level economic projections, analyzing how hydrogen can drive global decarbonization and determining which performance parameters most heavily influence its commercial viability. Finally, these diverse economic, agricultural, and technological insights are synthesized into a comprehensive scenario framework that models different innovation and policy pathways, ultimately providing policy-makers with scientifically rigorous strategies to mitigate pressure on the global commons while supporting sustainable economic development.
Building on previous pilot projects, PIK provides the core analytical and coordinating foundation for the Global Commons project. Economically, PIK investigates climate policy impacts within a globally interconnected system by linking macroeconomic trade models with supply chain analyses to study shock propagation and structural changes. In the agricultural sector, the institute uses integrated land-use models like MAgPIE and LPJmL to evaluate how technological innovations, such as enhanced fertilizer management, irrigation, and crop breeding, can close yield gaps and meet food demands without violating planetary boundaries, particularly regarding the nitrogen balance. Furthermore, PIK scales up laboratory advances in hydrogen production into energy system models like REMIND to rank technological performance and assess the costs, infrastructure needs, and resource constraints of hydrogen deployment. Synthesizing these areas, PIK utilizes its Potsdam Integrated Assessment Modeling (PIAM) framework to conduct multi-dimensional trade-off analyses, creating comprehensive transformation pathways that balance climate, biosphere, and development goals. Beyond this research, PIK manages the overall coordination, budgeting, and quality assurance of deliverables with partners like CGC and RIKEN, leveraging its institutional expertise as a key contributor to the IPCC and the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS).
