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The International Association for the Study of the Commons and the Research Group Right Seeds invite researchers to participate in the international workshop “Conceptualizing the New Commons: The Examples of Knowledge Commons & Seed and Variety Commons” in Oldenburg, Germany from 6th to 8th June 2018. Abstract submission is now open. Interested researchers are invited to advance conceptual-theoretical and organizational perspectives on the new commons. Deadline for submission of abstracts is February 25th, 2018. IÖW is project partner in the project Right Seeds. more

 

How easy is it to buy sustainable products on the Internet? A ranking of the 100 highest-grossing online shops in Germany now reveals which provides the best information on the environmental and social compatibility aspects of the products they sell. The ranking was published by IÖW, together with the consumer protection association Fo.KUS Konsum, Umwelt und Soziales. “During the Christmas holidays, a number of online retailers are anticipating new sales records. Quick and convenient shopping in the world’s largest department store is the lure of online commerce. Nevertheless, for consumers shopping for sustainably produced products, this vision does not hold or is only valid to a limited extent,” says study author Helmut Hagemann, commenting on the results. The five online sellers in Germany best serving the sustainable goods consumer are: otto.de, quelle.de, conrad.de, bonprix.de, and tchibo.de. more

 

The new IÖW-Annual Report has arrived. In our Annual Report we report on our projects, topics and publications from 2016/2017. Learn more about our topics Digital Transformation, Products and Consumption or Climate and Energy. more

 

The field of economics is once more under fire: too little research is being devoted to the development of sustainable, feasible solutions to the problems of climate change, financial crises, and social and economic structural change; in the wake of the recent financial crisis, a fundamental reform of the teaching of economics is still pending. In order to improve this situation, the conference “Economic Sciences and Social-Ecological Transformation” was attended on 6 November 2017 by approximately 200 participants from various research fields and areas of interest that included economics, the social and sustainability sciences, and representatives of civil society, business, and public policy. They debated how scientists in the fields of economics and business could better contribute to a sustainable transformation of society. more

 

How vulnerable are we to the consequences of climate change? To find systematic answers to this question, scientists developed new research methods: climate impact and vulnerability assessments. It was less than two years ago, when the first nation-wide and cross-sectoral study “Germany’s Vulnerability to Climate Change” was published. For this study an encompassing methodological approach with participation of scientists and authorities was developed. more

 

Sufficiency means more with less, the goal is to reduce resource consumption in order to reach a Good Life. Yet, this aim is far from being fulfilled and sustainable and sufficient lifestyles face many obstacles. The Sufficiency Politics Map is an online tool supporting actors of change, ranging from civil society, politics to businesses, who wish to promote sufficiency. It intends to support them to find their way through the complexities of sufficiency policy, to communicate successfully and, above all, engage them to act politically. The map was developed by Angelika Zahrnt and Dominik Zahrt in cooperation with the IÖW and was published on the Blog Postwachstum as a contribution to the 5th International Degrowth Conference in Budapest. more

 

To become climate-neutral until 2050 – This is the main objective of the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Program (BEK), passed in June 2016 by the Berlin Senate. Ambitious, but achievable, according to the brochure "Climate-Neutral Berlin 2050", which was now published in German and English. It was developed by the IÖW on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and provides an overview of the final BEK report. The measures, generated with great participation of public actors, reveal how Berlin can save more energy, reduce CO2 and reach climate-neutrality until 2050. Less energy consumption and more energy from renewable energy sources are key factors. more

 

Recent technological changes as well as social and organizational innovations have spurred a broad transformation of dominant means and ends for value creation. A fundamental transition has begun: from big, centralized factories to far more decentralized places of production. New forms of value creation emerge due to “disruptive elements” such as “FabLabs”, “Maker-” or “hackerspaces”. Those new labs have technologically advanced profiles, allow individuals access to production technologies and are accompanied by digital ideas of Open Source Hardware or Open Innovation. more

 

The Institute for Ecological Economy Research is in the top group of climate-think-tanks in a ranking of the International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG). The Venice-based research center analyzed 244 non-university institutes in the fields of climate politics and economics of climate change. The ranking, which is based on 15 different indicators, has been conducted for the third time since 2012. more

 

The aim of the study is to demonstrate what a climate-friendly and socially responsible road map for transition for Vattenfall’s phaseout of lignite in Germany by 2030 could look like. To this end, the report first outlined a road map for the phaseout of lignite and compared its (regional) economic advantages and disadvantages. Then, to ensure a socially responsible phaseout, and in particular to provide for the loss of jobs, an alternative road map was drafted that showed how this loss of jobs could be compensated by the expansion of renewable energies, at least in terms of numbers. more