The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research opened its doors in 1992 under the direction of Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. This German government-funded institute began as a single entity on Potsdam's historic Telegrafenberg.
Ottmar Edenhofer and Johan Rockström succeeded Hans Joachim Schellnhuber when he stepped down in 2018. Ottmar Edenhofer joined as a climate economist while Johan Rockström arrived from his role as director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Research Department One investigates tipping points where non-linear Earth system processes trigger threshold behavior. It defines planetary boundaries and quantifies their interactions with global change. Researchers study Earth trajectories including circulation changes and feedback systems under natural and human forcing. A fourth focus area develops understanding of extreme weather events on a warming planet.
The cross-institutional FutureLab between PIK and the Mercator Research Institute was established in January 2019. This lab applies analytical tools to problems in national and international climate policy.
From 2008 to 2015, co-director Ottmar Edenhofer co-chaired the IPCC working group on mitigation strategies. In the sixth assessment cycle spanning 2016 to 2022, researchers contributed expertise to special reports.