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For many people, a closed-loop economy simply means waste management – but there is much more to a circular economy than that. The aim is to close and slow down resource cycles. A circular economy…

Fit for 55, presented by the European Commission in July 2021, is an ambitious package of climate policy measures and mechanisms that is intended to enable the EU to reduce its greenhouse gas…

Our lifestyle and economic model must change as a matter of urgency in order to protect the environment, climate and resources. But is this taking place in a fair and equitable manner? The changes…

Hydrogen should become a key pillar of the EU’s efforts to achieve its climate targets by 2050. The question of how this resource can be produced and transported as climate-neutrally as possible is…

If the nine largest coal-producing countries were to fully extract and burn their coal reserves, it is estimated to lead to the release of approx. 940 billion tonnes of climate-damaging greenhouse…

There are already large numbers of electric vehicles on German roads – bicycles and scooters, cars and buses. And the numbers are set to increase: in its coalition agreement, the German government…

To achieve climate targets, the transport sector must be transformed. One of three possible solutions for the decarbonisation of road freight transport is the use of overhead line trucks, also known…

The need for a sustainable and digital transformation is rising on the political agenda both nationally and on a European level. Policymakers face the challenge that digitalisation is ecologically…

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine following the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, several nuclear power plants have already come under attack. Experts from the Oeko-Institut give their…

Bit by bit biodiversity, the diversity of life, is slipping away. According to the United Nations, one million species of flora and fauna are at risk of extinction. Yet we need biodiversity and…

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are playing an increasingly prominent part in discussions of global climate change mitigation. In a study for the German Environment Agency (UBA), a research team from…

More than a quarter of the energy consumed in the European Union is used to heat buildings. Much of this energy is obtained from fossil fuels: only about 22 per cent comes from renewables. If the EU…

In recent months many countries have submitted new climate targets. However, these are insufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. In addition, there are technical implementation issues…

Climate and environmental policy plays a big part in the transition towards greater sustainability – and hence also in the future wellbeing of all. But it also has social consequences – for example,…

Environmental due diligence requirements feature to only a very limited extent in the German government’s new Supply Chain Act. Work on extending such requirements is currently under way at EU…

Today, the Oeko-Institut becomes a founding sponsor of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Markets. In the voluntary carbon market, companies or individuals can offset their greenhouse…

Heavy rain events, floods, heatwaves and drought: the climate change impacts already experienced today are causing major costs to society. This is not a distant prospect somewhere on the other side…

Regulatory experiments are conducted in order to test new regulations and assess their practical impacts. These experiments can play an important role in managing transitions towards sustainable…

The final storage of high-level radioactive waste is not scheduled to start in Germany until 2050 at the earliest. There are still many steps to be taken along the way. The Sub-areas Interim Report…

How can social justice be built into climate action and the task of shaping a sustainable future? Whether it’s carbon pricing for heating or private mobility, less meat consumption, or car-free…

The Oeko-Institut’s Members’ Meeting took place on Saturday, 19 June 2021, and, for the first time, was held entirely online. After reports about the Institute’s work and its current financial…

Germany needs a lot of land abroad to cover its domestic consumption of biomass. Animal production is an important driver of the ecological footprint of agricultural biomass. Biomass consumption in…

The annual crude oil demand for passenger cars in Germany can be reduced by 56 percent by 2035 compared to 2020 if the share of electric passenger cars in German registrations rises to 100 percent…

Both digitalization and the need to move towards more sustainable development are megatrends that are leading to transformations of societies and economies worldwide and that need to be accompanied…

Within the framework of the European Green Deal, the European Union has increased its emission reduction target from 40% to 55% for 2030 (on the basis of 1990). This will necessitate a further…

A year of the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us some lessons. On the one hand, crises can have serious consequences – for people, for the economy, for society. It is not just the coronavirus crisis…

The building sector is heading for a substantial emissions gap: without additional measures, emissions reductions in this sector will amount to just 33 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by…

The reform of EU ETS will be part of the comprehensive legislative package “Fit for 55” that the European Commission has announced for the second quarter of 2021. Apart from measures to align the…

Germany is free to further restrict the use of climate-damaging oil-fired heating systems in buildings. A legal opinion by the Oeko-Institut and Professor Stefan Klinski, commissioned by the German…

The Open Energy Platform (OEP) – which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) – makes high quality data for energy system analysis freely available on the…

No means of transport does as much damage to the climate as the aeroplane. Despite this, air travel has increased steadily over the years and no effective policies are being put in place to reduce…

Hydrogen could feasibly become the fourth pillar of the energy transition if its production is climate-neutral, i.e. based largely on additional renewable energies, and it is mainly used in sectors…

Hydrogen and electricity-based fuels are often seen as key elements of an emissions-free future. But just how sustainable is the use of power-to-X (PtX) materials in reality? How are they produced,…

From electricity supply to industrial production and the Paris climate goals, from individual sectors to the big picture: the Ariadne project, a key element of the German Research Ministry’s…

Meeting on Saturday, 20 June 2020, in Merzhausen near Freiburg, the Oeko-Institut’s General Assembly elected two new Committee members: Dr. Susanne Dröge und Sebastian Backhaus. Susanne Dröge is a…

Plastics are an efficient, practical and cheap material. But the way in which we use plastics has numerous negative impacts, especially on the environment. For example, 75 percent of the waste found…

Electrical and electronic appliances, lighting products, heating and air conditioning – many products must meet energy efficiency and, increasingly, material efficiency and reparability…

Social networking, food shopping, flexible mobility – all these are possible on today’s digital platforms. But do these platforms contribute to sustainability and help to protect the environment? An…

Last year saw the continuation of a trend that we had already observed in previous years: German society is becoming more politicised and there is more and more controversy in the public arena.…

High quality data are important for the modelling and analysis of climate and energy scenarios. Where data are accessible and openly licensed, work with such data becomes more efficient and…

Germany is about to miss its climate goals, specifically its target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% compared with the 1990 baseline. The 2019 projection report produced by the…

The 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place in Madrid from 2 to 13 December 2019.…

The concept of the bioeconomy has been seen for some years as an important contribution to mitigating climate change and overcoming other challenges of sustainability. It describes the transition…

The European Union (EU) must step up its climate ambition for the period until 2030 in order to bring its targets into line with the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement and to limit the…

From a sustainability perspective, digitalisation creates both opportunities and risks. Done right, it can help to save energy and resources – through a networked infrastructure and vehicle-sharing…

On Friday, 20 September 2019, the #FridaysForFuture climate strike, expected to be the largest ever, will mobilise across Germany. The German Government and the “climate cabinet” are due to announce…

The challenges faced by environmental policy are constantly changing. The research project “Environmental Policy in the 21st Century” has therefore spent the last few years examining various…

Integrating further sectors such as transport or buildings into emissions trading is a lengthy and complex process. Realistically, any such expansion of the trade in emissions allowances is unlikely…

The transport sector is not yet contributing anything to climate change mitigation: its emissions in 2018, at around 163 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, were at the same level as in 1990. But the…

On 15 June 2019, the Oeko-Institut’s General Assembly in Darmstadt re-elected several external members of the Committee. Professor Gerald Kirchner, Thomas Rahner and Ulrike Schell were appointed for…

Last year was a year of extremes – politically and in particular meteorologically. The unusual weather conditions once more focused people’s attention on climate change. Science is particularly…

Forests add immense and diverse value to our lives. They offer us a space where we can relax and unwind. They provide us with natural resources – primarily wood, but also forest fruits and fungi,…

This year the European Commission is examining what direction further development of the EU Ecolabel for environmentally friendly products in Europe should take. It is consulting consumers, holders…

Dr Christoph Pistner will take over as the new Head of the Nuclear Engineering and Facility Safety Division at the Oeko-Institut in Darmstadt on 1 January 2019. He succeeds Beate Kallenbach-Herbert…

The energy supply is to be clean, safe and affordable – that is the goal of the energy transition. Yet the transformation of our energy supply needs investment in things such as the expansion of…

Whether it’s managing waste, labelling the most energy-efficient appliances or promoting renewables – over the years, Germany has amassed a wealth of experience that shows how the transition to…

With the advent of digital technologies, knowledge has become widely available. It seems that information about everything – and everyone – is just a mouse click away. But how reliable is this…

If Germany misses its European climate change mitigation targets in the areas of transport, buildings and agriculture, this could cost the country 600 million euros by 2020. This is the conclusion…

The Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China published a draft guidance document on accelerating the construction of green mines in May 2017. The guideline refers to existing…

Lack of staff, problems of coordination between government agencies, unclear legislation: the reasons why implementation of EU environmental law in the Member States is unsatisfactory are the same…

2017 was a special year for the Oeko-Institut: we celebrated our 40th anniversary! We reviewed four decades of scientific work and outlined the challenges that lie ahead. In our latest annual report…

It is the counterpart to innovation: exnovation describes the phasing out of unsustainable structures and technologies, materials and products. Political governance of exnovation to protect human…

Exporting cars is an important part of Germany’s economy. But can an awareness of sustainability issues and the idea of protecting the environment also be transferred to other countries? There is an…

How can cities and municipalities contribute to climate mitigation? What are the municipal institutions, actors and processes that matter? How can cities and municipalities contribute to climate…

The search for a final storage site for Germany’s high-level radioactive waste (HLW) officially began in September 2017. It is a highly complex challenge which will preoccupy our society for many…

Be it textiles, soya or gold – it is not uncommon for products and resources to come from countries where environmental and social standards fail to meet EU or German requirements. Many countries…

Even if the number of electric vehicles on German roads increases significantly by the year 2050 the resource requirement for electro-mobility can be met. Global deposits of lithium, cobalt, nickel,…

The chemicals we use in our homes and, above all, in industry are much better regulated nowadays than a few decades ago. But is it enough? Are human health and the environment adequately protected…

The June issue of eco@work ‘40 years of the Oeko-Institut – Let´s make a wish!' marks this anniversary. This special issue of the magazine looks back over the eventful history of the Oeko-Institut –…

For almost 40 years the Oeko-Institut has endeavoured to point the way for society on climate action and environmental issues. This means encouraging necessary change, even if it may be inconvenient…

Expansion of the use of renewable energies in 2015 exceeded the targets set by the EU Commission. Wind, solar and hydro power had a total share of approx. 16.4 percent of the EU Member States’…

A plane taking off, a rumbling freight train, a roaring leafblower. We are surrounded by noise. What effect does it have? And how can we protect ourselves from it? This issue of eco@work looks at…

An electricity system that is 95-percent renewables-based in 2050 costs about the same or even less than an alternative system based on coal and gas. This is one of the key conclusions of the…

The path that leads to sustainable supply chains is often highly complex and stony. This issue of eco@work looks at how social and environmental improvements can nevertheless be achieved – by…

In the coming weeks, the European Union will discuss the shaping of its climate package, which lays down the implementation of climate protection targets in the EU. On behalf of WWF Germany,…

Over three million end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in the European Union have unknown whereabouts. There is some concern that they are dismantled illegally and in a manner that damages the environment. …

Tourism plays a role for climate change that must not be underestimated. Because the further away the destination, the greater the energy consumption on the route travelled, and the associated…

The maritime sector contains substantial technical and operational potentials to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By means of efficiency improvements alone, the sector’s emissions can be…

The Oeko-Institut offsets all greenhouse gas emissions from its operations, with retroactive effect to 2014, that can not be avoided in the first instance through energy efficiency or renewables…

At the UN Climate Conference starting next week to take place in Paris, Oeko-Institut is presenting – together with Ecofys and Fraunhofer ISI – a new study on instruments for increasing climate…

From the Oeko-Institut’s perspective, Germany reached the half-way stage in its energy transition in 2015. What does this mean, and which projects epitomise our work in this area? Our latest Annual…

There is still a lot of work to be done on the circular economy at national and European level alike. Consumers have a key role to play, as do industry and, not least, policy-makers, as this latest…

The “Infrastructure & Enterprises Division” of Oeko-Institut has a new name: Since 1 March 2016 the previous name has been replaced by “Resources & Transport Division”. The “Infrastructure &…

Five years after the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Oeko-Institut answers the key questions about the disaster’s timeline, latest assessments of the events, and the current…

Many products are bought online today. Since some products are available more cheaply on the internet where the selection does not depend on time or place, the customer can save time, money and…

The Green Economy concept has become a buzzword for a more sustainable future. But what’s it all about, and does it have anything new to offer? The Green Economy concept has become a buzzword for a…

At the UN Climate Conference starting next week to take place in Paris, Oeko-Institut is presenting – together with Ecofys and Fraunhofer ISI – a new study on instruments for increasing climate…

EU industry – especially manufacturers in the cement, iron and steel, refineries and fertiliser sectors – is passing its ETS-related carbon costs through into product prices, meaning that much of…

A workshop on the life-cycle perspective of nanomaterials will take place in Brussels on 9 December 2015. This English-language event is hosted by the Safe Development of Nanotechnologies project…

Within the scope of funding provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for the research project "Global Circular Economy of Strategic Metals – Best-of-two-Worlds…

The state of Berlin can save 38 million Euro of its budget each year by procuring eco-friendly products and services. At the same time, eco-friendly procurement could also reduce greenhouse gas…

The animated film “Half-time Energiewende?” created by the Oeko-Institut marks 2015 as the half-way point on the path to a power supply that is predominantly based on renewable energy sources. Why?…

The German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) and the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) are organizing a conference entitled “Sustainable…

Oeko-Institut is providing advisory support for the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in the elaboration of its Climate Action Plan 2050. The team…

Oeko Institut and the German Sport University of Cologne are elaborating key building blocks for the environmental and sustainability concept of Hamburg's bid for the Summer Olympic and Paralympic…

2015 marks the half-way stage in Germany’s “energy turnaround” (Energiewende): the transformation of energy systems towards sustainability, with 35 years behind us and another 35 years to go. This…

This was the issue tackled yesterday by policy-makers and scientists at a conference organised by Friends of the Earth Denmark (NOAH) in Copenhagen. The Oeko-Institut contributed two presentations.…

Sustainable systems of energy production and use have been a focus of the Oeko-Institut’s work since its foundation. This gives us all the more reason to celebrate the half-way stage of Germany’s…

From 1st to 12th December 2014 the 20th international climate negotiations of the United Nations will be taking place in Lima (Peru). On behalf of the European Parliament, Oeko-Institut has produced…