40 years of the Oeko-Institut Download as PDF
Issue March 2017

40 years of the Oeko-Institut

Special anniversary issue

Looking back


The 1960s and 1970s

Leading up to the institute’s founding

Looking back

In 2017 the Oeko-Institut celebrates its 40th anniversary. On the following pages we look back at those forty…

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The 1960s and 1970s

The 1980s

A scientific rebel establishes its position

The Oeko-Institut during this time

1980: ‘Energiewende’ study The Oeko-Institut’s groundbreaking ‘Energy Turnaround’ study… more

The 1980s

The 1990s

From conflict to cooperation

The Oeko-Institut during this time

1990: Greifswald nuclear power plant: Round Table study leads to closure The… more

The 1990s

The 2000s

The Oeko-Institut goes international

The Oeko-Institut during this time

2000: The ‘Energiewende 2020’ study The Oeko-Institut and the Heinrich Böll Foundation… more

The 2000s

The 2010s to the present

The future has begun

The Oeko-Institut during this time

2010: Environmental Award of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) Prof.… more

The 2010s to the present

Outlook


The next decades

New and familiar pathways

By 2017
the EU should be spending three per cent of GDP on research and development.

From 2020
the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that oil prices will rise sharply.

By 2021
the European Commission will review the directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (the RoHS directive).

By 2022
the last nuclear power plant in Germany is due to be shut down.

By 2030
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals…

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The next decades

Key trajectories

Digitisation, autonomous driving, renewable energy

The world is going to change over the coming years, decades and centuries. Some developments we can already foresee, some will surprise us, and some expected events may not occur or may occur in ways that differ from those we had anticipated. Three examples illustrate how everyday life may change in future.

Digitisation

Digitisation has already turned our world upside-down. Not so long ago hardly any household had digital technology: now we can barely imagine life without a…

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Key trajectories

If we could make a wish…

Oeko-Institut staff look into the future

In my projects I often notice that I only make things happen if I take the time to talk to the people who are affected by developments and want to change things. Having more time to make contact with them is very important to me.

Daniel Bleher, Senior Researcher (Resources & Transport)

I picture how wonderful it would be if before long all the cars on our roads were electric ones. What would we begin to hear again, how would our attention change if the constant traffic noise…

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If we could make a wish…

Greeting


Dr. Barbara Hendricks on the occasion of the 40th anniversary

A greeting from the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety

On the Oeko-Institut’s website there is a paper by the social scientist Jochen Roose marking the 25th anniversary of the Oeko-Institut. I recommend you to read it. From the present perspective, on the 40th anniversary, a particularly interesting part is the last section in which Roose in 2002 looks ‘into the glass ball’ and draws up scenarios for the future of the Oeko-Institut. Today, thank goodness, we can discard the ‘decline’ and ‘radicalisation’ scenarios. What corresponds most…

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Dr. Barbara Hendricks on the occasion of the 40th anniversary

Facts and Figures


The Oeko-Institut in figures

Interesting facts about the Oeko-Institut

In 2017 the Oeko-Institut has offices at three locations. The Oeko-Institut employs 169 members of staff who are liable for social security contributions. 118 researchers work for the institute. The Oeko-Institut’s workforce comprises 74 men and 95 women. There are 63 members of staff in Freiburg, 50 in Darmstadt and 56 in Berlin. 382 projects were worked on in 2016. 40 studies and publications have been funded by the Legacy for the Future Foundation since 2000. Almost half… more

The Oeko-Institut in figures

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