Topics Online

Topics presented here give a broader perspective on issues addressed in individual projects; please follow the links on the left to get an overview or read in-depth information.

The limits of conventional energy supplies based on fossil fuels are foreseeable. At a time when resources become increasingly scarce and dependence on energy imports grows, the use of alternative fuels becomes a key strategy for sustainability - both on the national and the global level.  more

CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is a promising technology for climate change mitigation.This technology path prevents CO2 entering into the atmosphere, and could probably reduce global emissions to great extent. Due to the increase of global energy demands, following business-as-usual projections a CO2 emission growth of 62 percent is expected by 2030.  more

Climate protection starts at one's own house door, in the cities and municipalities as local concentration and diverse forms of utilisation (housing, business and industry, transportation, leisure activities) are responsible for a major part of climate relevant emissions.  more

Topic Online "Eco-Innovations" presents cutting-edge and fascinating best practices which are available for download. They can be technical, institutional, organisational or social and illustrate the necessary systemic change. more

Production and consumption patters will finally change when this is recognised as beneficial for the individual and the society. This is why the research spectrum of the Wuppertal Institute includes the transfer of research results into educational application fields, the identification of teaching and learning content and the development of target group specific concepts, as well as testing new methods of conveyance.  more

Energy savings resp. an increase in energy efficiency can be achieved at different sections of the supply and demand chain. In all areas, there are major potentials for innovation and market opportunities. Realisation can be fostered by adequate policies and measures.  more

To research sustainable development on an international level, it is necessary to deal with globalisation, the complex relationships between the rise of the transnational economy and the objectives of environmental friendliness and justice. more

Countries have been negotiating the future of international climate policy since 2005. The Wuppertal Institute is constantly observing the negotiations and regularly presents its current research on the future of the climate regime at side events.  more

The MIPS concept and its practical application in the form of the Material Intensity Analysis (MAIA) can be applied in a variety of ways in organizations and for whole economic systems. MIPS is an elementary measure to estimate the environmental impacts caused by a product.  more

"Renewables" - this is more than a term for the technical options of a worldwide modern sustainable energy system. It stands for a range of activities structured around "climate protection".  more

Since its foundation in 1991 the Wuppertal Institute has been working on visions for a sustainable low carbon society. Today the Institute's four research groups all contribute to different facets of this issue. more

In the field of transport policy and mobility services the Wuppertal Institute studies the potentials and conditions of development for a sustainable mobility. In this process, we develop innovative approaches, verify the effects and work on gender adjusting analyses.  more

North Rhine-Westphalia is not only the federal state with the largest population but also the state with the absolutely highest specific CO2-emissions. The state's declared aim is to provide and guarantee an adequate contribution to climate protection. The Wuppertal Institute researches in this context how NRW can cope with the structure change towards a low-carbon region.  more