Press Centre of the IÖW
On this page we provide you with current press releases from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research as well as background information and images on our research topics.
We are happy to answer your media enquiries and arrange interviews with our researchers. Please contact us by phone or e-mail.
Berlin, March 27, 2026
Citizen scientists in Berlin call for better access to sustainable transportation
For a year, more than 200 citizens of Berlin worked together with Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin) and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) to explore how healthy and equitable mobility can be achieved in Berlin. On March 27, 2026, they presented their findings from the “AMBER” project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Research. Their conclusion: The needs of disadvantaged groups have been neglected in Berlin’s road space and public transport. To make active mobility – such as walking or cycling – more attractive for everyone, what is needed first and foremost is not new laws or technical innovations, but rather the consistent implementation of existing legal frameworks and the strengthening of infrastructure.
Berlin, March 19, 2026
The Energy Transition Under Pressure: Why Social Research Is Especially Important Now
As the energy transition enters a phase of accelerated progress, new obstacles are emerging, and political, economic, and social challenges threaten to slow its momentum. In a new policy brief “The Energy Transition Between Acceleration and Backlash: Strengthening Social Research”, researchers from the IÖW and Fraunhofer ISI demonstrate why research on issues of social justice and social participation, communication and narratives, and geopolitical dependencies is essential to ensuring the progress of the energy transition in its current phase.
Berlin/Karlsruhe, January 28, 2026
The energy transition as a societal task: The BEWEGT project aims to make research more visible
Converting the energy system to be climate-neutral is more than just a technical project – it is a social task. That is why numerous research projects are investigating not only technological innovations but also aspects such as participation, affordability, resilience, and democratic design. The new research project “BEWEGT – The Energy Transition Society” by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) networks and supports numerous research projects in the funding priority “Energy Transition and Society” of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). The new web portal www.energiewende-gesellschaft.de now presents the diverse research and the minds behind the projects.
Berlin/Heidelberg, November 6, 2025
Global biodiversity loss – How the EU can promote environmentally friendly consumption
14 tonnes of material consumption per person – according to Eurostat, this is how large the footprint of consumer behaviour in Europe is in 2024. The goal would be 5.5 to 8 tonnes says United Nations Environment Programme. This consumption contributes to global biodiversity loss, especially in the Global South. A new study by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) highlights the role of soy, palm oil and shrimp production. The researchers make recommendations for EU policy in line with biodiversity conservation goals. This week, the results of the study “Towards nature-friendly consumption”, commissioned by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), were discussed at an online conference with international experts.
Witten/Berlin, June 30, 2025
Green transition: How policymakers can redirect financial flows towards sustainability
A large proportion of global capital still flows into climate-damaging activities. Financing the green transition is a decisive factor in whether the climate targets are achieved. A research project conducted by Witten/Herdecke University and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) with funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has investigated how the financing gap can be closed and what policymakers and the financial sector can do to achieve this. Today, the project team presented its findings and addressed three key recommendations for a more sustainable financial policy in the policy brief “Financing the green transition”.
Berlin/Lüneburg, May 6, 2025
Community energy: Why and how policy should promote it
More and more citizens are joining forces to generate their own energy locally. The coalition agreement between the parties CDU/CSU and SPD reinforces this commitment: they want consumers to play an active role in shaping the energy transition – for example through community energy, tenant electricity or energy sharing. Researchers from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the Leuphana University of Lüneburg show what obstacles community energy still faces and how these can be removed: A policy paper by the “SteuerBoard Energie” junior research group funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the research team recommends that policymakers anchor community energy in accordance with EU directives and set targets.
To the press release
Berlin, April 2, 2025
Heat storage for a climate-neutral Berlin
Berlin must make its heat supply climate-neutral ‒ as stipulated in the Heat Planning Act. Heat storage systems play a central role in this. This is shown by a joint study conducted by the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM) on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment (SenMVKU). Conclusion: Heat storage systems make it possible to use surplus heat, become less dependent on fossil fuels and reduce the load on the electricity grid. For Berlin, the scientists see a need for action in terms of land availability, legal uncertainties in the approval process and a need for information on the geological conditions.
Berlin, March 11, 2025
Healthy mobility for all: Citizen Science Study “Be Mobile in Your Own Way” in Berlin
On foot, by bike, with a walking frame or pram, in a wheelchair, by car or public transport: a city's mobility is as diverse as its inhabitants. How can the city of Berlin better meet these different needs? A citizen science study will be launched in April 2025. Freie Universität Berlin and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) are inviting people to take part in the study under the motto “Be Mobile in Your Own Way”. The aim is to find out what barriers exist for people who want to move around the city in a healthy way. Registration for the study is open until the 1st of April 2025.
Berlin/Lüneburg, July 2, 2024
Promoting energy communities: What policymakers should do now
Thousands of citizens are committed to the energy transition locally. They are part of energy communities and invest in locally generated renewable energy. In a recent policy paper, researchers from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), Leuphana University Lüneburg and the Ecolog Institute demonstrate the high relevance of the energy transition from the bottom up and point out that the potential is much greater than has been exploited to date.They recommend that politicians create clear funding conditions, provide citizens with better information and reduce hurdles and bureaucracy. This is the only way to meet the European Union's targets: These stipulate that at least one energy community should be established in every town with more than 10,000 inhabitants.