Professor Ortwin Renn serves as Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (Germany). Dr. Renn also serves as a faculty member at the Global CO2 Initiative at the University of Michigan.
Q: What does your research currently focus on?
A: The IASS is investigating the role of energy technologies and policies that help in reducing climate impact.
Q: What role do you think carbon technology or CO2-based products play in climate mitigation policies?
A: The IASS looks into the pros and cons of climate engineering, including technologies for negative emissions. In addition, we are investigating technological systems for climate neutral energy supply.
Q: What real world application or sector(s) do you see your research or tech having the most impact on?
A: We look mostly into energy technologies, and we believe that here we have many new technological solutions for many problems, but they need to be embedded in organization, regulatory and behavioral changes.
Q: How do students react to your work or this climate mitigation approach in general?
A: Given the Fridays for Future movement, they are getting more and more angry about the slow movements towards more carbon-free production and consumption patterns.
Q: What advice do you have for technologists or entrepreneurs starting off in this field?
A: Try to find something tangible that can have an impact on climate protection in the near future.