RIFS Blog

Hydrogen is an important energy carrier that will be essential for decarbonizing our economies, in particular for industrial sectors like steel and chemical production. But hydrogen itself is an indirect greenhouse gas (GHG), and emissions along the hydrogen value chain – including those of methane and CO2 if blue hydrogen is part of the mix – have the potential to reduce the climate benefits of hydrogen if not properly managed. In a recent study, we evaluated the potential impact of climate-warming emissions in Germany’s future hydrogen economy and provide recommendations for German and EU policymakers on how to avoid them.

Ambitious climate protection is not a question of "if", but of "how" and "how fast". Nevertheless, a lack of political resolve continues to stall efforts. In 2024, the Federal Climate Action Act was watered down in the wake of heated debates: sectoral targets were relaxed and accountability mechanisms were weakened, resulting in a patchwork of measures that is barely sufficient to achieve the climate targets set by government.

In today’s highly interconnected world, crises are becoming increasingly complex and intertwined. From climate change to COVID-19, from disasters caused by extreme weather events to political upheavals, risks are no longer isolated events but cascading, multidimensional, and systemic challenges. Environmental degradation, more frequent and intense climate events, and geopolitical instability all contribute to a growing web of risks. This complexity demands a comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck approach to Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Climate Change Adaptation. If European societies—and individual communities—are to build resilience against these mounting stressors, they must embrace policies that address risk in a holistic way.

Sustainable regional development is a complex process aimed at securing long-term economic stability, social equity, and environmental sustainability. This requires the careful balancing of measures for environmental and climate protection, economic development, and social justice – issues that affect different stakeholders with often conflicting interests. Collaboration between science and practitioners can help to bridge gaps and create opportunities to trial solutions. Universities contribute scientific expertise, while practitioners – companies, municipalities or civil society organisations – possess first-hand knowledge of the relevant regional challenges and implementation options. While numerous studies have sought to identify the factors that make collaborations successful for universities, little research has been conducted on the perspectives of practitioners.

Although climate change was rarely mentioned in recent election campaigns, the next government will play a decisive role in shaping Germany’s future climate policy. The CDU/CSU campaign manifesto emphasised the importance of “technology openness”. In practice, this position often merely serves to delay crucial policy decisions and slow emission reductions. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is likely to be a key point of contention for the future government.

Oil and gas geologists are key knowledge holders, producers and actors in the heavily contested story of oil and gas resources in the Arctic regions. These individuals receive surprisingly little attention despite the fact that they will continuie to occupy a vital and authoritative position as energy systems evolve and the focus on certain resources becomes more intense.

Climate change affects us all, but not equally. So how can, or should, inequality be reflected in participation structures at the international level of climate governance?

Unlike in France, few politicians in Germany dare to address the many ways in which we need to change our lifestyles in the face of climate change. In a new discussion paper titled “Wege zum Genug”(Pathways to Enough), we suggest that it is high time to rethink the idea of “sufficiency” which is often thought to be synonymous with “frugality” and “”sacrifice”. Rather, we need to reimagine sufficiency as an approach that uses structural change to ensure that resources are shared fairly and used wisely.

There is a lack of affordable housing in Germany and France. Two key factors in this crisis are the uneven distribution of living space and the continuing upward trend in the per capita consumption of living space. This not only exacerbates the housing crisis, but also cancels out energy savings achieved through building renovations. We need creative solutions to make better use of the housing stock. Our new RIFS Discussion Paper takes a look at approaches in both countries.

We all do it every day. In the morning. At lunchtime. In the evening. And occasionally in between. We eat. Surveys show that it’s not just the flavour of the food that matters. Most people also want to eat food from farming operations that are environmentally friendly, resource efficient, and fair. However, many of the goods on offer in supermarkets are neither regional nor seasonal, nor are they sourced from sustainable, fair trade producers. This, despite the fact that we urgently need a just food transition and a shift towards plant-based foods.

The digital transformation is rapidly changing our everyday lives and the way we do business and work. Parallel to this, we face the challenge of pursing socio-ecological transformation to secure a sustainable future. How can we bring these two processes together to create synergies? We discovered a number of promising examples in Brandenburg. In the eighth episode of our German-language podcast Negotiating Change. Sustainability in Brandenburg we visit a smart city and take a look at digital agriculture.

With one of the highest renewable energy potentials in the EU, Spain has strong ambitions to become a key player in the emerging green hydrogen economy. It recently adopted the target of installing 12 GW of electrolyzer capacity for green hydrogen production by 2030, which makes it the most ambitious producer country in Europe, However, these ambitions could exacerbate conflicts over environmental resources due to the vast quantitites of water required for the production of green hydrogen.