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The Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, geopolitical tensions, climate change and other events highlight our growing exposure to complex, interconnected, and intertwining risks. In view of this development, the focus of risk research has shifted towards the comprehensive analysis of interconnected and mutually interactive risk sources and crises. In a review article published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, Huan Liu (Kyoto University) and Ortwin Renn (Research Institute for Sustainability, RIFS) offer an overview of the current state of research on polycrises and systemic risks.

How effective is citizen and public participation in the energy transition? This question has been explored in numerous case studies – with varying results. But what broader insights emerge when these findings are brought together? To find out, RIFS researcher Jörg Radtke conducted a comprehensive analysis, recently published in the journal "Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews".

They run repair and lending shops, help to reduce waste, and cultivate urban gardens: cooperative eco-social initiatives play a key role in strengthening resilience in communities. But which structures and financing models have proven effective? And what can German and French projects learn from one another? RIFS Fellow Cléo Mieulet will study examples of best practice in eco-social entrepreneurship during a year-long research stay at the institute.

How can a country like Ukraine be rebuilt after a war? What sustainable methods are available and what local materials can be used? These are the questions being addressed by new Fellow Anastasiia Zhuravel, who will be conducting research at Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) for the next year. Alongside her scientific work, the Ukrainian expert on urban studies is advising a reconstruction project in her home country.

The passing of the Building Energy Act in September 2023 was preceded by months of heated debate. The governing traffic light coalition’s plan to accelerate the transition from gas and oil heating to renewable energy sources triggered a fierce backlash. In a study published in "Energy Research & Social Science", a team of researchers examine the strategies driving this opposition and explain what we can learn from it.

Anthropologist Josefina Lehnen, a young fellow at RIFS, is studying Just Transitions in the Global South using the example of Ecuador and raw material extraction. A transition from oil production to the mining of critical raw materials – especially copper – is currently taking place there. Lehnen observes how these changes happen and are negotiated. She is currently working on the synopsis for her dissertation.

Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers ensure high yields in agriculture, but also contribute significantly to climate change. How can their production be decarbonised? What policies can create an enabling environment for the switch to green technologies? And how can the fertiliser industry become a central field of action for the South African-German Energy Partnership? Sibusisiwe Khuzwayo, a chemical engineer from South Africa, is exploring these questions during a one-year fellowship at RIFS as part of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation‘s German Chancellor Fellowship Programme.

Research findings show broad public support – Clear call for policymakers to enable and promote sustainable lifestyles

Accelerating the energy transition is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Yet, due to its complexity and the influence of diverse intellectual traditions, research has struggled to fully capture the dynamics of this transformative process. Jörg Radtke, a scientist at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS), proposes a new approach to tackle this complexity. He combines insights from recent transition research with established findings from policy studies. “This integrated framework provides a more comprehensive basis for understanding and analysing the energy transition”, says Radtke.

Each year around 20 fellows come to the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) at the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geoscience to pursue research projects in the field of sustainability. Applications for the 2026 cohort of RIFS Fellows are now open through to 9 June 2025. With the Fellowship, the Institute offers the opportunity to explore innovative ideas in a transdisciplinary research environment.

"The business of business is business", economist Milton Friedman once declared. Yet today, many companies aim not only to generate profits, but also to assume social responsibility. How can these two goals be reconciled? Entrepreneur Adina Deacu is exploring this question during a year-long fellowship at RIFS.

A team of researchers led by Nathan Clark of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in partnership with the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS), has unveiled a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at strengthening Europe’s resilience to disasters. Their published findings emphasize the importance of grounding disaster preparedness in both scientific research and practical application.