

Headline:
Systemic Interdependencies: Nature, Technology, Society
Current global processes of transformation present significant challenges for sustainability research, not least of all due to their inherently complex nature and associated risks. Many of these processes - globalisation and the digital transition, for example - are located at the intersections of technology, nature, and society. The research area on "Systemic Interdependencies" analyses the complex interactions between technology, nature, and society against a background of global transformation. Each group in this research area analyses these interdependencies from a different perspective, complementing the work of the other research groups. The area pursues the overarching goal of studying the conditions for a broad societal transformation towards sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to this, the area develops formats for policy advice to ensure that its research results contribute to current processes of transformation. Researchers in the group Digitalisation & Sustainability study the potential risks and benefits of using digital technologies in communications, services, and industrial production for transformations towards sustainable economies and societies. The group applies a transdisciplinary research approach to analyse the effects and interactions of modern digital technologies and services on society and the natural environmental. The Air Quality group investigates how the use of technologies contributes to the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases and studies interactions between air pollution and climate change. How can research help to foster a shift across society towards greater sustainability against this background? The Climate Engineering group investigates how ideas of using technology to intervene in the global climate find their way into science, society, and politics, and how scientific expertise and societal imaginaries develop and shape each other. The Systemic Risks group investigates the effects of systemic interdependencies at the intersection of technology, nature, and society. In its interdisciplinary research, the group analyses the risks and potential benefits of transformation processes for sustainable development and generates policy recommendations for the transdisciplinary and transformative governance of systemic risks.