Oeko-Institute | oeko.de

The aim of our work is to contribute to the preservation of the environment and of natural resources, and to ensure the foundation on which all human life depends, for present and future generations. Oriented at finding solutions, we apply our ideas, our scientific expertise and our consulting capabilities to initiate and form the necessary transformations of policy and society. We believe that such transformation processes must be democratic and equitable – also on the international level.

Monitoring matters – transparency makes land sector climate action effective

Blog 04/23/2025

Land management has important implications for climate change, making it essential to monitor it transparently. Increased transparency helps to improve decisions, accountability, and responsibility of all actors.

Beyond artificial safety

Blog 04/08/2025

While we translate texts, generate images or simply search for answers with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI), very few of us consider whether AI is actually safe. This is likely due to the lack of discussion or efforts to address safety issues. Dr Heidy Khlaaf, Chief AI Scientist at the AI Now Institute, has been working on AI-related safety issues for a good many years. There is still a complete disregard of AI’s susceptibility to error, she says.

Background report provides data and facts for Germany’s National Biomass Strategy

News 04/01/2025

How much wood will be available in the future for building, heating or for the production of wood products? How much agricultural land will be used to grow food and animal feed? How much livestock is justifiable in the context of climate targets in the future? What role do waste materials and residue matter play as suppliers of energy and raw materials? These and other questions are answered in a recent background report prepared by the six research institutes Oeko-Institut, DBFZ (German Biomass Research Centre), UFZ (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research), IFEU (Institute for Energy and Environmental Research), and the Thuenen Institutes for Market Analysis and Forestry. The report summarises key data, results and considerations relating to the potential of biomass and its uses.

Climate-neutral transition of Germany’s heating sector with a plan: reducing emissions, increasing energy efficiency

News 03/26/2025

Although emissions in the building sector have fallen in recent years according to the German Environment Agency, the annual emissions for the building sector stipulated in the country’s Climate Action Act have been regularly exceeded. There are technological options for solving this problem. There is a lack of consensus as to how quickly and with what preferred instruments the climate-neutral transition of the heating sector should advance in future. In a new report, Ariadne researchers, including researchers from Oeko-Institut, give their recommendations to the German government: a rapid switch to renewable and more efficient heating systems and the systematic refurbishment of buildings.

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Just transition

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Socially just energy transition

Socially just transition of the mobility sector

Socially just transition of the heating sector

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Development accompanying sustainability analyses in the cross-sectional project for the 'Digital GreenTech' funding measure (2nd phase)

eco:digit - Enabling green Computing and digital Transformation

Energy- and resource-efficient artificial intelligence – reference models, metrics, measurement methods, criteria, recommendations for action and case studies from logistics

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