The research unit Sustainability and Global Change is devoted to multi-disciplinary research and education on human-induced environmental change that is either global in nature or pervasive across the world. Our research aims to further the understanding of sustainable development and its constituents environmental quality, economic efficiency and social equity. We seek to cross-fertilise disciplines by building bridges between the natural and social sciences.

Current research foci are the economics of climate change and the economics of marine resources. The unit’s staff offers courses in the economics of environmental resource management to both students of economics and students of other disciplines. Research and education are organised in a number of cooperative networks.

The Research unit is financially supported by the Michael Otto Foundation for Environmental Protection, the EU DG Research, the Hamburg Ministry for Science and Research, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the Volkswagen Foundation, the Zeit Foundation and the Max Planck Society.