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

Material flow analysis (MFA) on regional and national level is a growing research field of increasing relevance to policy. MFA serves as a systems-wide diagnostic procedure related to environmental problems, supports the planning of adequate management measures and provides for monitoring the efficacy of the those measures.  more

"Factor Four - Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use" is the title of a book published by Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Amory und Hunter Lovins in 1995. Factor Four stands for cutting-edge and fascinating best practices. 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

The last UN climate summit was held in Bali, Indonesia. The rather pessimitic mood prevailing throughout last year's conference in Nairobi had dramatically changed in 2007.  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

Sufficiency asks for the right measure. Eco-sufficiency refers to lifestyles and business conduct bringing to an end the overuse of goods and thereby of resources and energy.  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