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Wir stehen heute vor dem Klimaproblem. Das zu lösen ist seit mehr als 30 Jahren unsere Aufgabe. Dazu braucht es eine weltweite Energiewende. Politisch sind zwei global koordinierte Anläufe gemacht worden - und beide gescheitert. Gegenwärtig wird der dritte Versuch unternommen. Das zweimalige Scheitern ist nicht verwunderlich angesichts der Verfasstheit der globalen Politik. Gibt es eine Alternative? Die Antwort ist: ja, die technologische. Die vermag sich dank wirtschaftlicher Vorteilhaftigkeit von alleine durchzusetzen.
Zukunftslabore, Küchen und Stadträume : wenn sich Kunst und (Nachhaltigkeits-)Wissenschaft begegnen
(2021)
Ernährung ist einer der wichtigen Bereiche für die große Transformation. Doch wie kann eine Umstellung auf ein nachhaltiges Ernährungssystem gelingen? Der vorliegende Zukunftsimpuls setzt sich mit dieser Frage auseinander - basierend auf über zehn Jahren Forschung zu nachhaltiger Ernährung am Wuppertal Institut. Einen Schwerpunkt setzt das Papier auf die Außer-Haus-Gastronomie, denn bereits kleine Umstellungen - etwa in der Zutatenauswahl - haben hier große Wirkung. Mit geeigneten Rahmenbedingungen kann die Außer-Haus-Gastronomie den Konsumierenden als leicht zugänglicher Erlebnisort für nachhaltigere Ernährung dienen und gleichzeitig Landwirtinnen und Landwirten ein zuverlässiger Abnehmer für biodiversitätsschonende und klimafreundliche Lebensmittel sein. Doch für eine Transformation des Ernährungssystems sind auch andere Akteure gefragt: Der Zukunftsimpuls adressiert Politik, (Land-)Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und jeden und jede Einzelne - denn die Transformation des Ernährungssystems ist eine gesamtgesellschaftliche Aufgabe.
Die kommende Bundesregierung muss aus ambitionierten Zielen eine erfolgreiche Ressourcen- und Klimapolitik machen und dabei alle Bürgerinnen und Bürger mitnehmen - so das Fazit des Zukunftsimpulses des Wuppertal Instituts zur Bundestagswahl 2021. Es zeigt, welche Maßnahmen notwendig sind, um die Transformation in eine klimafreundliche und ressourcenleichte Zukunft jetzt konsequent einzuleiten.
Die aktuellen Berichte des Weltklimarates (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC) und des International Resource Panel zeigen erneut die Dringlichkeit einer umfassenden sozial-ökologischen Transformation auf. Das bedeutet, dass die Umsetzung der "Agenda 2030", welche im Jahr 2015 durch die Vereinten Nationen beschlossen wurde, als ein international geltendes Maßnahmenprogramm zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung gesetzt und ihr ein zentraler politischer Stellenwert zugeordnet werden muss. Das SDG 12 "Nachhaltige Konsum- und Produktionsmuster sicherstellen" setzt die besondere Rolle nachhaltiger Produktions- und Konsummuster als Ausgangspunkt für eine Klima- und Ressourcenwende und Generationen- sowie soziale Gerechtigkeit.
Der Zukunftsimpuls formuliert zehn Botschaften zur Umsetzung von SDG 12 "Nachhaltige Konsum- und Produktionsmuster sicherstellen" als Ausgangspunkt einer großen Transformation. Es beleuchtet kurz und knapp vielfältige Handlungsvoraussetzungen als auch Akteurinnen und Akteure, die relevant für die Verwirklichung einer nachhaltigen Zukunft sind.
Der Zukunftsimpuls thematisiert unter anderem die Vorbildfunktion des Staates, die Chancen, die sich auf kommunaler Ebene bieten und die internationale Perspektive, welche sich durch globale Kooperationen und stetigen Wissens- und Erfahrungsaustausch auszeichnen sollte. Ein weiterer Fokus liegt auf nachhaltiger Produktion und nachhaltigem Konsum. Dies lässt sich durch die Stärkung des Nachhaltigkeitsbewusstseins und der -kompetenz sowie der Schaffung von ausreichend Gelegenheiten erreichen, damit einer dynamisch wachsenden Gruppe nachhaltiges Produzieren und nachhaltiger Konsum ermöglicht wird. Ziel ist daher die Bildung eines politischen und gesetzlichen Rahmens, welcher nachhaltige Lebensstile als auch nachhaltige Produktions- und Dienstleistungssysteme begünstigt, fördert und als Daseinsvorsorge sieht. Um die Entwicklung und Fortschritte zu sichern, bedarf es neuer Indikatoren und regelmäßiger Monitorings, die Handlungslücken in Realzeit aufdecken und das Schließen der Lücken ermöglichen. Die Umsetzung des SDG 12 benötigt einen Rahmen, der von Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft getragen wird.
Der Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Wuppertal hat in seinem 100-Tage-Programm das Ziel ausgegeben, die Stadt bis 2035 auf den Weg Richtung Klimaneutralität zu bringen. Das Wuppertal Institut hat in einer Sondierungsstudie die zentralen Handlungsfelder zusammengestellt und hebt hervor, welche Herausforderungen damit verbunden sind. Deutlich wird: Wuppertal alleine kann das nicht schaffen. Es braucht dazu veränderte Rahmenbedingungen auch auf Landes- und Bundesebene, die dieses ambitionierte Ziel unterstützen. Doch bis dahin kann auch die Stadt selbst einiges anstoßen.
Angesichts der drängenden Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erwarten große Teile der Öffentlichkeit und Politik eine engagierte Wissenschaft, die sich aktiv an der Lösung ökologischer, ökonomischer und sozialer Probleme beteiligt. Diese Erwartungshaltung hat dazu beigetragen, Diskussionen über eine "third mission" der Wissenschaft aufzuwerfen. Damit verbunden sind Fragen zu gesellschaftlichem Engagement und Distanz zur Politik in Forschung und Lehre, mit denen sich bereits der amerikanische Wissenschaftssoziologe Robert K. Merton in den 30er Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts beschäftigte und die ihn dazu bewogen, ein Ethos der Wissenschaft zu postulieren. (...)
Vor dem Hintergrund der Traumatisierung der Wissenschaft durch den Nationalsozialismus und seine dramatischen Folgen stellt sich heute nach wie vor die Frage, ob - und wenn ja wie - Forschung und Lehre gegen politische Intervention und Pervertierung immunisiert werden können. Gibt es überhaupt so etwas wie "reine Wissenschaft" und wie lässt sich diese abgrenzen? Brauchen wir ein Wissenschaftsethos oder gibt es dazu Alternativen?
Im Folgenden versuchen wir uns diesen Fragen zu nähern. Wir sind weder Wissenschaftssoziologen noch Wissenschaftshistoriker und werden deshalb nur sehr kursorisch auf die entsprechenden Forschungen verweisen. Wir nähern uns den Fragen zum einen aus der Perspektive der angewandten Nachhaltigkeitsforschung und zum anderen mit einem wissenschaftsphilosophischen und erkenntnistheoretischen Hintergrund. Unsere Kritik an Mertons Ansatz hat daher sowohl einen explizit praktischen als auch philosophischen Zugang.
Nie gab es mehr zu tun. Unsere Wirtschaft braucht nicht nur technische, sondern auch soziale und kulturelle Innovationen. Etablierte Wirtschaftsförderung beschränkt sich meist auf klassische gewerbliche Unternehmen und strebt nach Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Wachstum. Das Konzept der Wirtschaftsförderung 4.0 geht darüber hinaus und betrachtet die gesamte Wirtschaft einer Stadt oder Region. Es ergänzt die klassischen Strategien und zielt darauf ab, lokale und regionale Wirtschaftsstrukturen zu stärken. Auch private und öffentliche Haushalte, Vereine und soziale Initiativen werden dabei berücksichtigt.
Wirtschaftsförderung 4.0 initiiert so neue Wertschöpfung vor Ort, eröffnet lokale Investitionsmöglichkeiten, bindet regionale Kaufkraft, entfaltet neue Wirtschaftsideen, fördert Kooperationen und stärkt lokale Vielfalt. Zudem fördert sie Ressourcengerechtigkeit und Klimaschutz. Das Buch stellt diese innovative Wirtschaftsförderung vor, die die regionale und lokale Wirtschaft stabilisiert und Regionen dadurch widerstandsfähiger gegen globale Krisen macht.
Die vom Wuppertal Institut für Fridays for Future durchgeführten Analysen legen nahe, dass das Erreichen von CO2-Neutralität bis 2035 aus technischer und ökonomischer Sicht zwar extrem anspruchsvoll wäre, grundsätzlich aber möglich ist. Diese Zielsetzung wäre in allen Sektoren mit großen Herausforderungen verbunden und würde beispiellose politische Anstrengungen erfordern.
Despite Germany's Paris Agreement pledge and coal exit legislation, the political debate around carbon-intensive coal remains heated. Coal power and mining have played an important, yet changing role in the history of German politics. In this paper, we analyze the entire parliamentary debate on coal in the German parliament (Bundestag) from its inception in 1949 to 2019. For this purpose we extract the more than 870,000 parliamentary speeches from all protocols in the history of the Bundestag. We identify the 9167 speeches mentioning coal and apply dynamic topic modeling – an unsupervised machine learning technique that reveals the changing thematic structure of large document collections over time - to analyze changes in parliamentary debates on coal over the past 70 years. The trends in topics and their varying internal structure reflect how energy policy was discussed and legitimized over time: Initially, coal was framed as a driver of economic prosperity and guarantee of energy security. In recent years, the debate evolved towards energy transition, coal phase-out and renewable energy expansion. Germany’s smaller and younger parties, the Greens and the Left Party, debate coal more often in the context of the energy transition and climate protection than other parties. Our results reflect trends in other countries and other fields of energy policy. Methodologically, our study illustrates the potential of and need for computational methods to analyze vast corpora of text and to complement traditional social science methods.
Die Stadt Mannheim kann spätestens bis zum Jahr 2050 vollständig klimaneutral werden und damit einen maßgeblichen Beitrag zur Umsetzung der Ziele des Pariser Klimaabkommens auf kommunaler Ebene leisten. Das ist das zentrale Ergebnis der vorliegenden "Energierahmenstudie Mannheim", die das Energieunternehmen MVV in Abstimmung mit der Stadt beim Wuppertal Institut in Auftrag gegeben hat. Die Studie untersucht und beschreibt die Handlungsmöglichkeiten und Umsetzungsvoraussetzungen in den Bereichen Strom, Wärme, Verkehr und Industrie.
Im Zeitalter der Machine Economy ist der maschinelle Dialog allgegenwärtig - das bietet neue Chancen für Nachhaltigkeit, erhöht gleichzeitig aber durch die zugrundeliegenden Technologien auch den Druck auf unsere Umwelt. Internet of Things (IoT), Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) sind das technologische Fundament der Machine Economy. Damit verbunden sind Infrastrukturen, Datenströme und Anwendungen, die hohe Energie- sowie Ressourcenaufwände erzeugen. Der derzeitige politische Diskurs sowie die Nachhaltigkeitsforschung fokussieren sich auf Umweltwirkungen durch digitale Infrastrukturen. Daten, Applikationen sowie die Rolle von Akteuren als Treiber der Umweltwirkung werden zu wenig beleuchtet. In diesem Papier sprechen sich die Autorinnen und Autoren für eine "Grüne Governance der Machine Economy" aus. Adressiert werden Annahmen zu systemübergreifenden Treibern von Umweltbelastungen und ihrer Wirkung. Ziel ist es, ein Gesamtsystem nachhaltiger Entscheidungen und ein ökologisches Zusammenspiel aller beteiligten Technologien in der Wertschöpfung zu ermöglichen. Zukünftige Forschung soll die hier vorgestellten Hypothesen weiter ausarbeiten und konkrete Handlungsoptionen für eine Stakeholder übergreifende Roadmap erarbeiten.
Water and energy are two pivotal areas for future sustainable development, with complex linkages existing between the two sectors. These linkages require special attention in the context of the energy transition. Against this background, this paper analyses the role of water availability in the development of solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants for the case of the Draa Valley in southern Morocco. Located in a semi-arid to arid mountainous area, the Drâa Valley faces high water stress - a situation expected to worsen due to climate change. At the same time, the region has one of the greatest potentials for solar energy in the world. To examine whether limited water availability could accelerate or delay the implementation of solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants, this paper compares regional water availability and demand in the Draa Valley for different scenarios, paying particular attention to potential socio-economic development pathways. The Water Evaluation and Planning System software is applied to allocate the water resources in the study region. The water supply is modelled under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 climate scenario, while the water demand for the Drâa Valley is modelled for a combination of three socio-economic and two energy scenarios. The climate scenario describes a significant decrease in water availability by 2050, while the socio-economic and energy scenarios show an increase in water demand. The results demonstrate that during a sequence of dry years the reservoirs water availability is reduced and shortages in water supply can result in high levels of unmet demand. If this situation occurs, oasis farming, water for drinking and energy production could compete directly with each other for water resources. The energy scenarios indicate that the use of dry cooling technologies in concentrated solar power and photovoltaic hybrid systems could be one option for reducing competition for the scarce water resources in the region. However, given that energy generation accounts for only a small share of the regional water demand, the results also suggest that socio-economic demand reduction, especially in the agricultural sector, for example by reducing the cultivated area, will most likely become necessary.
Die nationale Wasserstoffstrategie der Bundesregierung beinhaltet zentrale Zielkonflikte: Stärkung der deutschen Wirtschaft versus hohe Importquote, günstigere Produktionskosten im Ausland versus höhere Wertschöpfung durch Produktion im Inland. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird in diesem Beitrag diskutiert, wie groß die Kostenunterschiede ausfallen, welche Bedeutung die Transportkosten haben und welche Reboundeffekte bei Importen aus Nordafrika zu beachten sind.
Ohne die Transformation unserer Wirtschaft in eine nachhaltige Kreislaufwirtschaft werden wir die planetaren Grenzen weiter überschreiten, die Klimaziele verfehlen und die Ökosysteme schädigen. Deutschlands Politik hat sich in einem Flickenteppich aus Strategien und Gesetzen verfangen, aus dem eine echte Kreislaufwirtschaft nicht in der notwendigen Geschwindigkeit hervorgehen kann. Der Versuch, einer verschwenderischen Wirtschaft allein mit den Mitteln des Abfallrechts beizukommen, kann nicht glücken.
Nötig ist vielmehr eine ganzheitliche, übergeordnete deutsche Kreislaufwirtschaftsstrategie mit ambitionierten nationalen Zielen. Das vorliegende Papier will zeigen, was sich konkret verändern muss und welche Hebel es braucht, um die Kreislaufwirtschaft signifikant voranzubringen.
Es ist Zeit zu handeln. Innovative Ideen, Konzepte und Forderungen liegen auf dem Tisch. Sie machen es möglich, Deutschland auf eine zirkuläre Zukunft auszurichten, Rohstoffe und Materialien konsequent im Kreislauf zu führen und der Wirtschaft Planungssicherheit zu geben. Kreislaufwirtschaft ist Zukunftswirtschaft. Sie muss Kernthema einer neuen Regierung werden.
Since the middle of the 20th century, human society experiences a "Great Acceleration" manifesting in historically remarkable growth rates that create severe sustainability problems. The globally exploding potentials of information and knowledge exchange have been and are vital drivers for this acceleration. Society has now come to the point that it requires a "Great Transformation" towards sustainability to ensure the viability of the planet for a vital society. The energy transition plays a central role for this transformation. In this context, human society has developed a comparably good understanding of the necessary infrastructural changes of this transition. For transforming the patterns of energy production and use in an energy transition as part of the "Great Transformation", this process of change now needs to strengthen its focus on information, communication, and knowledge systems. Human society needs to establish a knowledge system that has the potential to create usable knowledge for sustainability solutions. This requires organizing a communication system that is sufficiently complex, interconnected, and, at the same time, efficient for integrating reflexive, open-ended, inter- and transdisciplinary learning, evaluation, and knowledge co-production processes across multiple levels. This challenge opens a wide field of research.
This cumulative dissertation contributes to research in this direction by applying a systemic sustainability perspective on the content and organization of communication in the field of research on sustainable energy and the operational level of municipal climate action as part of the energy transition. Regarding sustainability, this thesis uses strong sustainability and its principles as a frame for evaluating the content of communication. Regarding the systemic perspective, the thesis particularly relies on the following theories: (i) the human-environment system model by R. Scholz as an overarching framework regarding interactions between humans and nature, (ii) social systems theory by N. Luhmann to reflect the complexity of society, (iii) knowledge management to consider the human character of knowledge and a practice-oriented perspective, and (iv) management cybernetics, in particular, the Viable System Model by S. Beer as a framework to analyze and assess organizational structures. Furthermore, the thesis leverages the potential of text mining as a method to identify and visualize patterns in texts that reflect prevalent paradigms in communication.
The thesis applies the above conceptual and methodological basis in three case studies. Case Study 1 investigates the measures proposed in 16 municipal climate action plans of regional centers in Lower Saxony, Germany. It uses a text mining approach in the form of an Summary interpretation network analysis. It analyzes how different societal subsystems are connected at the semantic level and to what extent sustainability principles can be recognized. Case Study 2 analyzes and reflects paradigms and discursive network structures in international scientific publications on sustainable energy. The study investigates 26533 abstracts published from 1990 to 2016 using a text mining approach, in particular topic modeling via latent Dirichlet allocation. Case Study 3 turns again to the cases of municipal climate action in Lower Saxony examined in Case Study 1. It examines the involvement of climate action managers of these cities in multilevel knowledge processes. Using design principles for knowledge systems, it evaluates to what extent knowledge is managed in this field across levels for supporting the energy transition and to what extent local innovation potential is leveraged or supported.
The three case studies show that international research on sustainable energy and municipal climate action in Germany provide promising contributions to achieve a transformation towards sustainability but do not fully reflect the complexity of society and still support a growth paradigm, in contrast to a holistic sustainability paradigm. Further, the case studies show that research and local action are actively engaging with the diversity of energy technologies but are lagging in dealing with the socio-epistemic (communication) system, especially with regard to achieving cohesion. Using the example of German municipalities, Case Studies 1 and 3 highlight the challenges of achieving coherent local action for sustainability and bottom-up organizational learning due to incomplete or uncoordinated multilevel knowledge exchange. At the same time, the studies also point out opportunities for supporting the required coherent multilevel learning processes based on local knowledge. This can be achieved, for instance, by strengthening the coordinating role of intermediary organizational units or establishing closer interactions between the local operational units and the national level.
The thesis interprets and synthesizes the results of the three case studies from its systemic sustainability perspective. On this basis, it provides several generalized recommendations that should be followed for establishing viable communication systems, especially but not exclusively in policy-making:
Systemic holism: Consider matter, energy, and information flows as an integrated triplet in the context of scales, structures, and time in the various subsystems. Knowledge society: Focus on the socio-epistemic (communication) system, e.g., using the perspective of knowledge systems and associated design principles considering, for instance, working environments across horizontal and vertical levels, knowledge forms and types, and knowledge processes. Sufficiency communication: Emphasize sufficiency approaches, make it attractive, and find differentiated ways for communicating them. Multilevel cohesion and innovation: Achieve cohesion between the local and higher levels and leverage local innovations while avoiding isolated local action. Organizational interface design: Define the role of organizational units by the interactions they create at the interfaces with and between societal subsystems. Local transdisciplinarity: Support local transdisciplinary approaches integrating various subsystems, especially industry, while coordinating these approaches from a higher level for leveraging local innovation. Digital public system: Exploit existing digital technologies or infrastructures in the public system and recognize the value of data in the public sphere for achieving cohesion. Beyond the above recommendations, this thesis suggests that potential for further research lies in: Advancing nature-inspired systemic frameworks. Understanding the structure and creation of human knowledge. Developing text mining methodologies towards solution-oriented approaches.
The ultimate goal of German Resource Efficiency Programme (ProgRess) is to make the extraction and use of natural resources more sustainable and reduce associated environmental pollution as much as possible. By doing this - also with responsibility towards future generations - the programme should create a prerequisite for securing a long-term high quality of life. To bring the policy approaches formulated in ProgRess to reality, efforts to implement resource efficiency measures have to be increased at all levels - from international to regional to local.
The chapter intends to provide an impetus for the current debate on ProgRess policy development. The chapter identifies, analyses and describes deficits and possibilities of vertical integration of the German programme in particular and derives recommendations for action which may also serve as indications for other strategies. The following sections are based on results of the advisory report "Vertical integration of the national resource efficiency programme ProgRess (VertRess)", conducted by the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy on behalf of the German Environmental Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
Nowadays, high expectations are set for a digitally enabled circular economy (CE), to enhance resource efficiency. Tracing, tracking, and storing information is most important for this. In this paper, the application of Internet of Things (IoT) and Distributed Ledger Technology (Blockchain) are hence discussed by presenting the case of professional Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) in Italy. Within the context of CE, prevention of electronic waste (WEEE) is extremely relevant as it is a fast-growing waste stream, and the products contain environmentally damaging substances as well as valuable and rare materials. The use of a proper combination of IoT and blockchain can help the producers to keep control on products until EEE end-of-life, while promoting CE strategies and supporting decision-making. Based on the outcomes of five interviews conducted in 2019 to companies of the EEE sector, potential improvements in the EEE end-of-use management are discussed. After providing the definition of requirements for both the technical solution and its testing are provided, three solution variations and the related business models are created and presented, as well as considerations on their environmental and economic impacts. The study shows how digital technologies can support the appropriate and circular management of EEE products and WEEE.
Wie gestalten wir Wohlstand zukunftsfähig - obwohl es immer weniger Erwerbsarbeit für alle gibt? Wie müssen Wettbewerb und Kooperation zusammenwirken? Wie verbessern wir die Balance zwischen den Marktgütern und den marktfreien Gütern, die heute so stark gefährdet erscheint?
Marktfreie Güter wie menschliche Zuwendung, selbstbestimmte Lebensführung, gesellschaftliche Integration und soziale Verantwortlichkeit sind nicht zu kaufen. Sie werden in Familie und Gruppe, in Nachbarschaft und bürgerschaftlichem Engagement hervorgebracht. Und sie sind nötiger denn je - zumal in den städtischen Räumen. Ausgehend von empirischen Untersuchungen, zeichnen die Autoren die Ansätze und Perspektiven einer Tätigkeitsgesellschaft, in der sich Erwerbs- und Subsistenzwirtschaft produktiv ergänzen.
Reallabore werden in verschiedenen gesellschaftlichen Kontexten eingerichtet, um Lösungen für Probleme der urbanen Transformationen zu erproben. Sie sind vornehmlich in der transformativen Nachhaltigkeitsforschung verankert und spiegeln einen experimental turn in den Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften wider: Traditionelle wissenschaftliche Forschungsmethoden stoßen demnach angesichts immer komplexerer Veränderungen und Anforderungen an die Gesellschaft beispielsweise beim Umgang mit dem Klimawandel an ihre Grenzen. Daher sollen in Reallaboren Akteure aus Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft gemäß dem transdisziplinären Paradigma, das dem Reallabor-Konzept zugrunde liegt, eng und "auf Augenhöhe" zusammenarbeiten. Reallabore sollen Evidenz über sozial robuste Lösungsstrategien für gesellschaftliche Probleme generieren. Zentrale methodische Grundlage sind (Real-)Experimente, welche eine Brücke vom "Wissen zum Handeln" schlagen.
Verstanden als dauerhafte "Forschungsinfrastruktur" ist die Forschung in Reallaboren im Idealfall langfristig anzulegen und als beständiger Reflexions- und Lernprozess zu konzipieren. Reallabore reihen sich damit ein in internationale "Lab"-Debatten, wie z. B. um "Sustainable Living Labs", "Urban Transition Labs" oder "Niche Experiments".
The aim of this study is to contribute to a learning process about innovative and successful approaches to overcoming problems and challenges of urban environmental protection. To this end, a detailed overview of the importance of environmental challenges, political priorities and successful solutions in selected countries and cities is given. Based on this, the study analyzes specific success factors and discusses the extent to which these can be transferred and replicated to other cities. Finally, recommendations are made for cities, countries and the international community on how environmental protection at the urban level can be further strengthened. The role of German cities and institutions will also be discussed. The case studies analyzed include Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Moscow in Russia, Kochi in India, Beijing in China, Cape Town in South Africa and Jakarta in Indonesia. These cities were selected because they have already implemented successful policies, measures and other initiatives in the past. For each city, the study analyzes relevant policy documents in order to present the respective challenges and political priorities. The analysis aims to understand the effectiveness of the plans and instruments taking into account the national political environment. Despite the cross-sectoral approach, the analysis of each case study focuses on specific sectors in order to produce well-founded results. The success factors that are worked out based on this sectoral analysis are placed in a holistic context in order to be able to make generalizable statements about success factors.
With increasing world population and an unsettling resource scarcity in the back, sustainble consumption has moved to the foreground of political, economical and social discussions. One major school-of-thought is Circular Economy (CE), an approach summarizing various sustainable consumption activites under one roof. However, quantitative studies on the consumer are rare, yet crucial for a transfer from linear to circular consumption. This dissertation adds to literature by providing pioneer insights into consumer behavior in CE as an overarching concept, instead limiting research on singular subconcepts. Namely, four consumer activities are studied: recycling, upcycling, renting and sharing. In order to identify relevant insights for both academics and practitioners in CE, the research question ("what drives participation in CE?") is broken down into sub-hypotheses, which are addressed by three empirical studies. Using the SOR-Model (adaption Belk 1975) as overarching logic, the three studies deal with (1) the consumer (and their motivation) and situational stimuli (both (2) offline and (3) online). Respectively, three data sets are consulted to assess the sub-hypotheses and to identify overarching insights on how to accelerate consumer participation in CE, The research methodology employed ranges from a structured equation model (SEM), a random allocation field experiment during Fashion Week in Berlin to a discrete-choice model with best-worst scaling. The dissertation succeeds in revealing that (1) different activities in CE can be summarized in one latent variable, proving CE as a wholesome concept in consumer-related activities; that (2) Trust has a leveraging effect on participation in CE activities. Further, Trust can be enhanced offline via face-to-face interaction and online via third-party online attributes.; and that (3) experience in CE activities affects perception of online attributes, implying the need for adapted measures when dealing with CE-unexperienced consumers as compared to consumers with prior experience in CE activities.
The Glasgow climate conference marked a symbolic juncture, lying half-way between the adoption of the UNFCCC in 1992 and the year 2050 in which according to the IPCC special report on the 1.5°C limit net zero CO2 emissions need to be reached, globally, in order to maintain a good chance of achieving the 1.5°C limit. This article undertakes an assessment of what the UNFCCC and in particular the Paris Agreement and its implementation process have actually achieved so far up to and including the results of the Glasgow conference. The article discusses efforts at ambition raising both within and outside the formal diplomatic process, the finalization of the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement, as well as progress on gender responsiveness, climate finance, adaptation and loss and damage. In summary, the Paris Agreement and its implementation can be considered a success as it is having a discernible impact on the behavior of parties as well as on non-party actors. However, significant further efforts will be required to actually achieve the objectives of the Agreement.
Local implementation projects for sector coupling play an important role in the transformation to a more sustainable energy system. Despite various technical possibilities, there are various barriers to the realisation of local projects. Against this backdrop, we introduce an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to identifying and evaluating different power-to-X paths as well as setting up robust local implementation projects, which account for existing drivers and potential hurdles early on. After developing the approach conceptually, we exemplify our elaborations by applying them to a use case in the German city of Wuppertal. It can be shown that a mix of several interlinked interdisciplinary methods as well as several participatory elements is suitable for triggering a collective, local innovation process. However, the timing and extent of end-user integration remain a balancing act. The paper does not focus on a detailed description of power-to-X (PtX) as a central pillar of the sustainable transformation of the energy system. Rather, it focuses on the innovative methodological approach used to select a suitable use path and design a corresponding business model. The research approach was successfully implemented in the specific case study. However, it also becomes clear that the local-specific consideration entails limitations with regard to the transferability of the research design to other spatial contexts.
Das Handbuch ist ein Ergebnis des Forschungsprojektes "Transformatives Lernen durch Engagement - Soziale Innovationen als Impulsgeber für Umweltbildung und Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung". Im Projekt wurden in Kooperation zwischen Schulen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Nachhaltigkeitsinitiativen sogenannter Lernwerkstätten im Modus des Service-Learning initiiert, um Kinder und Jugendliche für ein Nachhaltigkeitsengagement zu begeistern. Das Handbuch liefert theoretisches Hintergrundwissen, praktische Empfehlungen, Methoden und Materialien zur Durchführung solcher Lernwerkstätten im Kontext von Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung. Es richtet sich an Multiplikator*innen in der schulischen und außerschulischen Bildungsarbeit, sowie an Praxisakteur*innen eines sozial-ökologischen Wandels und möchte dazu ermutigen, innovative Lernformen zu erproben und sich für nachhaltigkeitsorientierte Lernkulturen einzusetzen.
Transformative Innovationen : die Suche nach den wichtigsten Hebeln der Großen Transformation
(2021)
Der hier vorliegende Zukunftsimpuls soll den Grundgedanken der Transformativen Innovationen und ihre Notwendigkeit beschreiben sowie erste Kandidaten für solche Transformativen Innovationen aus diversen Arbeitsbereichen des Wuppertal Instituts vorstellen. Er dient vor allem als Einladung, gemeinsam mit dem Wuppertal Institut über solche Innovationen zu diskutieren, die irgendwo zwischen den großen Utopien und kleinen Nischenaktivitäten liegen. Denn es braucht nicht immer den ganz großen Wurf, um Veränderungen in Gang zu setzen.
Das Fortschreiten des Klimawandels und die Schädigung der Ökosysteme machen deutlich, dass die seit Jahrzehnten international geforderte nachhaltige Entwicklung zu den wichtigsten Herausforderungen gehören.
Um die von den Vereinten Nationen in der Agenda 2030 festgeschriebenen Nachhaltigkeitsziele, den sogenannten Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), zu erreichen, sind alle relevanten Akteurinnen und Akteure - die Politik, die Wirtschaft sowie jede und jeder Einzelne - gefragt.
Eine nachhaltige Entwicklung, die zugleich Umweltschonung, stabile wirtschaftliche und gesellschaftliche Entwicklung sowie soziale Gerechtigkeit berücksichtigt, beruht damit auf der Kompetenz oder auch der "Literacy" der Einzelnen, für sich und im Kollektiv nachhaltiges Handeln auszuüben und im gegenseitigen Miteinander fördern zu können. Doch welche Fähigkeiten sind notwendig, um nachhaltig Handeln zu können? Welche Fähigkeiten brauchen insbesondere Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten, um ihre Produktions- und Konsummuster nachhaltiger (mit-)gestalten zu können?
Antworten darauf liefert die "Literacy für nachhaltigen Konsum", die in dem vorliegenden Diskussionspapier entwickelt und vorgestellt wird.
Transformation zur "Grünsten Industrieregion der Welt" - aufgezeigt für die Metropole Ruhr : Studie
(2021)
Industrieregionen stehen vor besonderen Herausforderungen für eine nachhaltige und klimagerechte Entwicklung, sie müssen zu "grünen Industrieregionen" werden. Doch was macht eine "grüne Industrieregion" überhaupt aus? Die vorliegende Studie des Wuppertal Instituts verdeutlicht, worauf es besonders ankommt, wie Fortschritte gemessen werden können und welche Maßnahmen die erforderliche Transformation beschleunigen können. Das Autorenteam schätzt die Vorreiterpotenziale der Metropole Ruhr für sieben Indikatoren ein, die besonders deutlich bei der Umweltwirtschaft und der Entwicklung der Grün- und Erholungsflächen herausstechen.
2011 trat der Nawis-Verbund mit dem Vorhaben an, transdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft institutionell zu etablieren und einen Wandel im Wissenschaftssystem anzustoßen. Damit verbunden ist die neu gedachte Wissenschaftspraxis der transformativen Forschung, die eine analytische Komponente und einen normativen Auftrag umfasst.
The transdisciplinary research mode has gained prominence in the research on and for sustainability transformations. Yet, solution-oriented research addressing complex sustainability problems has become complex itself, with new transdisciplinary research formats being developed and tested for this purpose. Application of new formats offers learning potentials from experience. To this end, we accompanied fourteen research projects conceptualized as real-world labs (RwLs) from 2015 to 2018. RwLs were part of a funding program on "Science for Sustainability" in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Here, we combine conceptual and empirical work to a structured collection of experiences and provide a comprehensive account of RwLs. First, we outline characteristics of RwLs as transformation oriented, transdisciplinary research approach, using experiments, enabling learning and having a long-term orientation. Second, we outline eleven success factors and concrete design notes we gained through a survey of the 14 RwLs: (1) find the right balance between scientific and societal aims, (2) address the practitioners needs and restrictions, (3) make use of the experimentation concept, (4) actively communicate, (5) develop a "collaboration culture", (6) be attached to concrete sites, (7) create lasting impact and transferability, (8) plan for sufficient time and financial means, (9) adaptability, (10) research-based learning, and (11) recognize dependency on external actors. Characteristics and success factors are combined to illustrate practical challenges in RwLs. Third, we show which methods could be used to cope with challenges in RwLs. We conclude discussing the state of debate on RwLs and outline future avenues of research.
In order to calculate the financial return of energy efficiency measures, a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a proven tool for investors. Generally, however, most CBAs for investors have a narrow focus, which is - simply speaking - on investment costs compared with energy cost savings over the life span of the investment. This only provides part of the full picture. Ideally, a comprehensive or extended CBA would take additional benefits as well as additional costs into account. The objective of this paper is to reflect upon integrating into a CBA two important cost components: transaction costs and energy efficiency services - and how they interact. Even though this concept has not been carried out to the knowledge of the authors, we even go a step further to try to apply this idea. In so doing, we carried out a meta-analysis on relevant literature and existing data and interviewed a limited number of energy experts with comprehensive experience in carrying out energy services. Even though data is hardly available, we succeeded in constructing three real-world cases and applied an extended CBA making use of information gathered on transaction costs and energy services costs. We were able to show that, despite these additional cost components, the energy efficiency measures are economically viable. Quantitative data was not available on how energy services reduce transaction costs; more information on this aspect could render our results even more positive. Even though empirical and conceptual research must intensify efforts to design an even more comprehensive CBA, these first-of-its-kind findings can counterargue those that believe energy efficiency is not worth it (in monetary terms) due to transaction costs or energy services costs. In fact, this is good news for energy efficiency and for those that seek to make use of our findings to argue in favor of taking up energy efficiency investments in businesses.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a concept of a policy instrument particularly pushed by policy circles to contribute to a circular economy. The preliminary design of the DPP is supposed to have product-related information compiled mainly by manufactures and, thus, to provide the basis for more circular products. Given the lack of scientific debate on the DPP, this study seeks to work out design options of the DPP and how these options might benefit stakeholders in a product's value chain. In so doing, we introduce the concept of the DPP and, then, describe the existing regime of regulated and voluntary product information tools focusing on the role of stakeholders. These initial results are reflected in an actor-centered analysis on potential advantages gained through the DPP. Data is generated through desk research and a stakeholder workshop. In particular, by having explored the role the DPP for different actors, we find substantial demand for further research on a variety of issues, for instance, on how to reduce red tape and increase incentives for manufacturers to deliver certain information and on how or through what data collection tool (e.g., database) relevant data can be compiled and how such data is provided to which stakeholder group. We call upon other researchers to close the research gaps explored in this paper also to provide better policy direction on the DPP.
In this paper, we aim to present a comprehensive analysis on the emerging phenomenon of distributed innovation in commons-based peer production (CBPP) platforms. Starting with the exploration of the widely held belief on value-creation confined to industrial settings, we raise several questions regarding the feasibility of, and a need for, an inclusive innovation process that can tap grassroots capacity into both traditional (industrial research and development) and emerging (peer-to-peer) innovation models to yield sustainable solutions. In particular, we explore the emergence and structuration of digital innovations in the maker movement, as it presents an alternative construct of innovation wherein access to and sharing of knowledge is predominantly distributed. With innovation outcomes often freely revealed, its very structuration could pose a principal challenge to our conceptualizations of value creation and competitive advantage in the current economic model. Drawing from responses received from 200 collaborative innovation platforms, six semi‐structured interviews focusing on socio-technical innovation cases, as well as four in-depth narrative interviews with maker turned entrepreneurs, we present a detailed analysis on the topology of network, typology of actors, as well as the underlying innovation ecosystem in CBPP networks in Germany. In doing so, we contribute to the conceptualization of peer-to-peer distributed innovations in collaborative platforms.
Supply risks and environmental concerns drive the interest in critical raw material recycling in the European Union. Globally, waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is projected to increase by almost 40% until 2030. This waste stream can be a source of secondary raw materials. The determination of the economic feasibility of recycling and recovering specific materials is a data-intensive, time-consuming, and case-specific task. This study introduced a two-part evaluation scheme consisting of upper continental crust concentrations and raw material prices as a simple tool to indicate the potential and limitations of critical raw material recycling. It was applied to the case of light-emitting diodes (LED) lamps in the EU. A material flow analysis was conducted, and the projected waste amounts were analyzed using the new scheme. Indium, gallium, and the rare earth elements appeared in low concentrations and low absolute masses and showed only a small revenue potential. Precious metals represented the largest revenue share. Future research should confirm the validity and usefulness of the evaluation scheme.
The transport sector accounts for 20 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Germany and it is therefore key to success for German climate policy. At present, however, there is no other sector with a wider gap in missing the trajectory to climate neutrality. The present study, conducted on behalf of Huawei within the project "Shaping the Digital Transformation - Digital Solution Systems for the Sustainability Transition", points out new pathways towards a sustainable and climate friendly transition of the transport sector. The report specifies concrete options to follow up on the ambitious goals of the new coalition agreement to foster clean and digital mobility solutions.
The authors refined eight theses on how digitalisation can foster sustainable mobility solutions and how to shape a supporting policy framework, which is aligning the financial and regulatory guardrails for ramping up a sustainable mobility system while gradually phasing down the usage of private cars.
Many cities all over the world highlight the need to transform their urban mobility systems into more sustainable ones, to confront pressing issues such as air and noise pollution, and to deliver on climate change mitigation action. While the support of innovations is high on the agenda of both national and local authorities, consciously phasing-out unsustainable technologies and practices is often neglected. However, this other side of the policy coin, "exnovation", is a crucial element for the mobility transition. We developed a framework to facilitate a more comprehensive assessment of urban mobility transition policies, systematically integrating exnovation policies. It links exnovation functions as identified in transition studies with insights from urban mobility studies and empirical findings from eight city case studies around the world. The findings suggest that most cities use some kinds of exnovation policies to address selective urban mobility issues, e.g., phasing-out diesel buses, restricting the use of polluting motor vehicles in some parts of the city, etc. Still, we found no evidence for a systematic exnovation approach alongside the innovation policies. Our framework specifies exnovation functions for the urban mobility transition by lining out policy levers and concrete measure examples. We hope that the framework inspires future in-depth research, but also political action to advance the urban mobility transition.
This paper argues that, although Japan's and Germany's energy transition paths differ in detail, a trend towards decentralisation is clearly evident in both countries. Based on comprehensive screening, own stocktaking and the results of a stakeholder dialogue, this paper highlights the motivation for different local actors to enter the energy market in both countries. Although there are challenges to success in a market dominated by large energy companies, this paper argues that the benefits to local communities outweigh the efforts. Overall, it is shown that democratisation and the decentralisation of the energy system are suitable to facilitate a successful transformation process in both countries.
Green hydrogen will play a key role in building a climate-neutral energy-intensive industry, as key technologies for defossilising the production of steel and basic chemicals depend on it. Thus, policy-making needs to support the creation of a market for green hydrogen and its use in industry. However, it is unclear how appropriate policies should be designed, and a number of challenges need to be addressed. Based on an analysis of the ongoing German debate on hydrogen policies, this paper analyses how policy-making for green hydrogen development may support industry defossilisation. For the assessment of policy instruments, a simplified multi-criteria analysis (MCA) is used with an innovative approach that derives criteria from specific challenges. Four challenges and seven relevant policy instruments are identified. The results of the MCA reveal the potential of each of the selected instruments to address the challenges. The paper furthermore outlines how instruments might be combined in a policy package that supports industry defossilisation, creates synergies and avoids trade-offs. The paper's impact may reach beyond the German case, as the challenges are not specific to the country. The results are relevant for policy-makers in other countries with energy-intensive industries aiming to set the course towards a hydrogen future.
In Germany, the consumer sector "food" is responsible for around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Due to the high demand for food outside the home, changes in this area have the potential to significantly boost climate-efficient nutrition, and this includes changes in school kitchens. Currently, about 264 kg of GHG emissions per year are attributable to the food served to each school child who has school lunch year-round.
Therefore, the project "Climate and Energy Efficient Cooking in Schools" ("Klima- und Energieeffiziente Küche in Schulen” or KEEKS for short) sought to determine the status quo in the kitchens of 22 all-day schools serving a total of 5,000 lunches per day. This was done by taking energy measurements and analyzing the equipment, technology and processes used in the kitchens, and by interviewing kitchen managers using guided interviews. Greenhouse gas emissions arising from menus and kitchen processes were calculated, potential savings were identified, and recommendations for action were developed and tested. The most effective measures - the reduction and substitution of meat and meat products and the establishment of efficient waste management systems - save around 10% of a school kitchen’s greenhouse gas emissions. The recommendations that have been developed can support kitchen staff in designing a climate-friendly, child-friendly, healthy and affordable menu in the school kitchen.
The need for a transition towards a circular economy (CE) is evident, as the current economic model is based on the exploitation of far more resources than the planet can replenish sustainably. A significant part of this economic transition is the inception of new, CE-oriented startups and business activities. While business model frameworks (BMF), such as the Business Model Canvas (BMC), were at the center of discussions about structuring business ideas in the beginning of the millennium, the conversation must now shift towards circular BMFs (CBMF). This paper follows the Design Research Methodology (DRM) for an empirical approach to devising a novel CBMF, including expert interviews as well as a first application of the framework with a startup. Throughout this process, a new and innovative tool called Circular Business Framework (CBF) was created and tested based on CE principles.