43 running Projects // 395 Projects in total

• Handbook Heat Transition in Communities Municipalities set the pace for the heating transition

  The heat transition has been omnipresent in public discourse since the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and is receiving a great deal of political attention. With the “Gebäudeenergiegesetz” and the “Wärmeplanungsgesetz”, [...] More

• Sponge City: Implementing blue-green infrastructures Effective levers for water-sensitive cities and sustainable model solutions for green roofs

  

  The consequences of climate change pose enormous challenges for urban regions in particular, such as dealing with heavy rainfall. In order to avoid flooding and overflows in the combined sewer system, the concept of the [...] More

• Shaping Nature-Friendly Consumption Recommendations for selected Products to Protect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Worldwide

  From coffee to soy and timber, consumers in the Global North use resources grown or extracted in parts of the world where biodiversity is in drastic decline. The Global South, where the most biodiverse ecosystems are located [...] More

• Bits & Bäume – advancing the alliance Enhancing the engagement at the nexus of digitalization and climate protection

  

  The civil society movement "Bits & Bäume" (B&B) works at the nexus of digitalization, sustainability, human rights and democracy. Ten NGOs and scientific organizations from the sustainability and/or digitalization scene, [...] More

• Reduction of energy consumption of prosumers (ProSuffizienz) Data collection, analysis and visualisation to support sufficiency in prosumer households taking into account sector coupling

  

  Allotment gardeners show how it's done: they harvest part of what they need every day to live. The situation is similar with energy production. More and more households not only consume energy, but also produce it themselves [...] More

• Meta study “Sustainability Effects from Digitalization” Overview on available studies and critical assessment of the state of research, structured by topics, sectors and fields of application

  The green and digital transformation of the economy, the so-called twin transition, has advanced in recent years to become a central political priority for the future. The digital transformation has the potential to save [...] More

• Active mobility for maintained benefits of health and environment AMBER

  

  On foot, by bike, bus, or train: active mobility is the key to a climate-friendly and healthy mobility transition. But how can we make the switch? And what will active mobility look like as cities adapt to heat, droughts, and [...] More

• Nature conservation impacts of floating PV systems. Preparation of an investigation concept for the nature conservation impacts of floating PV systems in still waters

  Photovoltaic (PV) systems on artificial and heavily modified water bodies can also contribute to achieving the expansion targets for renewable energies. First plants are already in operation on artificial still waters, [...] More

• Negotiating change, shaping the just transition New structures for socio-ecological policy-making bridging state and civil society

  Implementing a “Just Transition” is a complex task for society. The challenges are great: It is not just a matter of providing answers to the climate crisis, but of dealing with a multitude of crises that overlap or even [...] More

• Determination of the potential of waste heat in Berlin

  In the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Act, the state of Berlin has set itself the binding goal of becoming climate neutral by 2045 at the latest. Whether this goal is achieved depends largely on the development of the [...] More

• Priorities of a Bioeconomy Strategy for the Federal State of Brandenburg

  In the German National Bioeconomy Strategy from 2020, the federal government formulated guidelines for a sustainable and bio-based economy that relies on natural material flows. These guidelines offer the Federal State of [...] More

• Citizen Energy: Structural economic development and participation (BE:ST)

  A structural strengthening through the energy transition ”can only succeed together with the people for whom the regions are part of their identity and home with tradition and future”. This call by the Coal Commission to [...] More

• REPAID - Reusable Solutions for Gastronomy Promotion of reusable solutions to reduce single-use plastic service packaging through automation of take-back, interventions at the point of sale and possibilities of digitalisation to support user behaviour

  

  Since January 2023, many to-go providers must offer reusable packaging: The Packaging Act requires restaurants, caterers and delivery services to provide a reusable option for plates, bowls and cups, for example. How can [...] More

• Participation process for a precautionary climate adaptation strategy of the Federal Government Designing measurable targets for the further development of the German Climate Adaptation Strategy (DAS)

  More extreme weather events, health risks and economic uncertainties: Germany must prepare for the consequences of climate change. As decided in the 2021 coalition agreement, the German government therefore wants to develop a [...] More

• Collaborations in regions Communities and social innovation for sustainable regions

  

  Rural regions can be faced with major economic and social challenges. Due to a wide range of structural challenges, some regions have had to be creative in finding new development pathways and developing new forms of [...] More

• Just and effective governance for accelerating wind energy (JustWind4All)

  

  JustWind4All aims to support the acceleration of on- and offshore wind energy through just and effective governance. To this end, JustWind4All develops knowledge, practical guidelines, instruments, strategies, and trainings [...] More

• Geothermal energy for the heating transition: Supervision of the rollout of medium-depth geothermal energy in Germany (Warm-Up)

  

  As a renewable energy source, geothermal energy can increasingly replace fossil fuels and thus contribute to climate protection and create added value locally. Despite great potential, the share of heat from deep geothermal [...] More

• Further development of European sustainability reporting stand-ards for companies

  Corporate reporting on sustainability issues is in transition. The standards and frameworks for reporting, most of which have been voluntary to date, are being developed at EU level to become more binding and standardized. [...] More

• Bits & Bäume – Conference 2022 The conference for digitalisation and sustainability

  

  Bits & Bäume is the largest German civil society alliance at the nexus of sustainability and digitalisation. It tackles issues such as the raw material and electricity needs of digital devices, data sufficiency, cooperative [...] More

• Strategies for climate-friendly roofs

  Green roofs or photovoltaics? There currently is a competition of goals for using roof surfaces sustainably: On the one hand, potentials for solar energy should be used as well as possible in order to achieve climate [...] More

• Climate change and global finance at the crossroads Policy challenges, politico-economic dynamics, and sustainable transformation

  Humanity is facing a millennium challenge: the transformation of state, industry, and society towards zero CO2 emissions. This goal can only be achieved if the necessary financial resources are made available. The financial [...] More

• GartenLeistungen II Urban Gardens and Parcs: Implementation, stabilization and transfer of approaches for socially, ecologically and economically sustainable management of urban areas and flows of materials

  

  Urban gardens and public parks compete with other uses for scarce space. However, they play a central role in sustainable urban development. They increase the resource efficiency of urban districts and fulfill a variety of [...] More

• Suburban heat transistion 2 Innovation district heating in agglomeration belts using the example of of the existing quarter “Leeste”: Project phase 2 Implementation

  Heating networks play an important role in climate-neutral heat supply. The project aims to provide scientific support for the implementation of a grid-connected supply approach in the center of Leeste in the Lower Saxon [...] More

• Economic analyses of the benefits of restoring degraded ecosystems

  Natural and near-natural ecosystems, such as intact forests and peatlands, provide a variety of ecosystem services and render high value to society. Determining the economic value of such services is an important prerequisite [...] More

• Mental Impacts of Climate Change Mental Impacts of Climate Change and motivation for climate change adaptation

  A growing number of international research results show not only that extreme weather events in particular lead to an increase in depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, but also that gradual changes in climatic [...] More

• Analysis and use of climate services Capacity-building, education and networking for climate adaptation

  Education, knowledge transfer and capacity building on climate change impacts and adaptation options are key foundations for building a climate-resilient society, environment and economy. A lack of knowledge and a shortage of [...] More

• Efficiency and cycle potentials of battery systems in e-mobility Comparative analysis of fully integrated and swappable battery systems

  E-mobility is a major trend in the mobility sector. Compared to the fossil combustion engine and other alternatives such as hydrogen or e-fuels, it offers significant ecological advantages. Therefore, it is – besides a [...] More

• Shaping the socio-ecological transformation together in a just way Alliances of social, welfare, environmental associations and trade unions

  From both a social and an ecological perspective, the current economic and lifestyle practices in industrialized countries have serious negative impacts. They exploit the environment and pollute the climate and at the same [...] More

• PaDiSo Participation in digitalized energy systems: Investigating social innovation processes

  

  The longstanding centralized fossil fuel energy system is increasingly losing importance. It is being replaced by an energy system characterized by decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization. Where large-scale, [...] More

• Sustainable food and citizen participation Deliberative assessment and complementation of environmental policy intervention options in the food system

  The food system plays a central role in meeting sustainability goals, especially in the areas of climate and biodiversity protection. In particular, the consumption of animal products, especially dairy and meat, is associated [...] More

• Methodological Convention 4.0. Basis for updating and extending the Methodological Convention for the Assessment of Environmental Costs – Part 2

  The Methodological Convention of the Federal Environment Agency is an internationally very recognized and almost unique basis and guidance for the determination of environmental costs. It contains data sets and methodological [...] More

• Developing a climate adaptation scheme for the GLS bank

  Climate change is progressing untamed, urgently requiring us to think about adaptive measures in order to cope with its consequences. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like heavy rainfall, [...] More

• Development of methodological foundations and working aids for climate protection and circular economy aspects in the public procurement practice

  A shift towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns is essential for a sustainable development. Due to its market power, the public sector can develop a high potential for reducing the burden on the [...] More

• Climate and Water under Change CliWaC

  

  The Einstein Research Unit “Climate and Water under Change” (CliWaC) is a transdisciplinary research initiative of the Berlin University Alliance to investigate water-related risks under climate change. In an innovative [...] More

• Green City of the Future II - Climate-Resilient Neighborhoods in a Growing City Implementation and stabilization phase

  

  A result of the ongoing global urbanization process, cities are playing an increasingly important role in climate protection and adaptation. Urban and open space planning are crucial disciplines for developing [...] More

• Energy Sharing: A Potential Analysis Collectively Generating and Using Electricity in the Distribution Grid: A Study on the Implementation Proposal under Article 22 of the EU Renewable Energy Directive

  In order to achieve the climate protection targets for Germany, the new German government must get a great deal underway very quickly. The expansion of the renewable power supply remains central, in particular due to the [...] More

• Hydrogen as a panacea? Importance and construction of directional certainty for key decisions on alternative transformation paths – INSIGHTS for policy making

  The German government as well as a range of industry stakeholders are putting a major emphasis on the importance of green hydrogen as a pathway to decarbonization, as exemplified by the National Hydrogen Strategy of 2020. The [...] More

• Environmental labels and certificates as orientation aids for public procurement Update and revision of the chapter “Environmental labels and certificates” as part of the FNR publication project “Certification marks compact – Orientation aids for sustainable purchasing”

  In this project, the IÖW is creating an overview of relevant environmental labels and certificates in the field of renewable raw materials in order to provide municipalities and other stakeholders with an orientation aid for [...] More

• gARTENreich Preferences and constraints for biodiversity conservation in home garden, project phase 2

  

  Home gardens have a great potential to protect and promote biodiversity. Around 17 million home gardens occupy just under two percent of Germany's total area. However, biodiversity in home gardens is dwindling due to a steady [...] More

• Energy cooperatives as multipliers for energy sufficiency EMUSE

  

  For a successful energy transition, not only the transformation towards renewable energy use, but also an absolute reduction of primary energy consumption is essential. This absolute reduction requires not only technical [...] More

• Holistic Biodiversity Management in Construction Materials Industry (GiBBS) Strategies and Measures for Biodiversity Protection in Context of Resource Extraction, project phase 2

  

  The project from the BMBF Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA), which was preceded by a one-year conceptual phase, aimed to preserve and promote biodiversity in the quarrying sites of the building [...] More

• Impact assessment and diffusion potentials of social innovations for sustainable consumption

  

  Capitalist production and consumption patterns are largely responsible for exceeding the planetary boundaries. In Germany, too, the negative consequences of this overstepping are becoming visible through increasing levels of [...] More

• The Future of the Tidal Elbe in a Changing Climate – Climate Change and Flood Protection TideelbeKlima

  Which options are there for flood protection in the tidal area of the Elbe in light of the effects of climate change? The TideelbeKlima project aims to identify and analyse conceivable options and to evaluate them [...] More

• Affordable housing and climate protection against the background of the housing situation and housing costs of low- and middle-income households

  In the Federal Climate Protection Act, Germany has committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2045. The resulting increase in climate protection efforts increases potential conflicts of interest: although climate protection [...] More

• Home-Office and energy transition: Implications of mobile working and opportunities for the transition of the energy system Electricity consumption, mobility behavior and rebound effects

  

  Due to the Corona pandemic, there has been movement in the perception and use of home office and teleremote working. In this joint project, the energetic and non-energetic implications of this change that are relevant for the [...] More

• Environmental Awareness in Germany 2022 Study for the German Environmental Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

  The Environmental Awareness Study by the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has been surveying environmental [...] More

• Environmental economic report 2022 for the state North Rhine-Westphalia

  As basis for the Environmental Sector Report 2022 for the state of North-Rhine Westphalia this project is investigating the fundamentals and significance of the environmental sector in NRW. The IÖW is focusing on an [...] More

• Landgewinn – Energy system analysis of decarbonization strategies in the agricultural sector Economic-ecological assessment of biochar and an additional agricultural decarbonization technology

  Many farms and the German agricultural sector as a whole face the challenge of bringing their energy supply and emissions into line with energy and climate targets in the medium and long term. For years, however, emissions [...] More

• Bringing sustainable consumption into the mass market: Identifying and promoting green key products with high diffusion potential

  Sustainable consumption is an important task within the transformation to an economy and society following the sustainable development goals. In Germany, sustainable consumption has been systematically promoted through the [...] More

• Environmental sustainability in the neighbourhood Technical foundations for a municipal sustainability strategy and development of a communication concept

  

  Cities are a central starting point for solving environmental challenges, particularly with regard to the climate mitigation goals of the Paris Agreement. The mission of a socio-ecological transformation of urban spaces [...] More