Material flow accounting (MFA) (Fischer-Kowalski et al. 2011) is a method to systematically compile data on the total material use (input) and discards (output) of society/economy. Its system boundaries are consistent with the System of National Accounts and it is an established accounting methodology with a comprehensive database (Resource Panel IRP). As an accounting scheme,… Read More »
Klimawandel und Wohnungsmangel machen die Untersuchung der Klimaauswirkungen von Neubauprojekten zu einem wichtigen Thema. Der geplante Stadtteil ‚Dietenbach‘ in Freiburg i.Br. soll nach dem Willen des Gemeinderats klimaneutral werden. In der Masterarbeit von Leonid Krebs vom Studiengang Umweltwissenschaften haben wir eine wissenschaftliche Umweltbewertung und Szenarioanalyse von Materialverbrauch, Energieverbrauch und Klimaauswirkungen der Treibhausgas (THG)-Emissionen verschiedener Bauweisen… Read More »
After one and a half year into the Corona pandemic, at many German universities, videoconferencing solutions (*) for lectures and seminars are still largely unavailable. As a consequence, more teaching than necessary happens online only, with all the depressing ramifications. In the report ‘Portable and Flexible Tech Setups for Blended Synchronous University Courses’, I describe… Read More »
Seminar of the Institute for Environmental Social Sciences and Geography It’s time for the members of our recently established institute within our faculty to start a regular scientific exchange beyond the established formats! To that end, we will host a seminar series between November 2021 and July 2022 where all research groups can present their… Read More »
As I am writing these lines, the supposed climate leaders of the world meet at the COP 26 in Glasgow to find ways to ramp up their national commitments towards the well below 2°C climate target. Since most of our energy consumption and industrial production still hinges on fossil fuels, the structural changes that lie… Read More »
Veggie-Burger, Lastenfahrräder, verpackungsfrei leben – Ideen und Produkte, unseren Alltag klimafreundlich zu gestalten, gibt es reichlich. Bei so vielen Möglichkeiten macht ein bisschen Übersicht und Systematik Sinn, denn nicht alle Klimaschutzstrategien sind effektiv und oft hängt deren Potential auch von anderen Strategien ab (*). Es lohnt sich also, mal den Blick aufs große Ganze zu… Read More »
Material flow analysis (MFA) is booming. A large number of datasets are being compiled and produced as part of MFA research, but many of them are not available or cumbersome to extract — either because of their format (e.g., pdf), or because they lack systems context. For this reason, researchers often have to spend too… Read More »
Under the umbrella of the Uni’s focus area, Environment and Sustainability, this semester will feature a research seminar with the broad topic “Land use, land scarcity, and land use transformation in sustainable development – Transformation research across multiple disciplines”. The goal of this 3-hr-seminar is twofold: First, there will be research briefings and discussions on… Read More »
Der Klimawandel ist eine der großen globalen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit. Anstatt staatliche Maßnahmen (Gebote, Verbote, ökonomische Anreize in Richtung Emissionsreduktion) abzuwarten oder sich ausschließlich auf diese zu verlassen, gibt es auf der Ebene der Organisationen (Firmen, Körperschaften, Vereine, Universitäten) Bestrebungen, selbst als Klimaschutzakteure aktiv zu werden. In ihren Umweltleitlinien von 2020 [1] bekennt sich die… Read More »
“Metals can be recycled indefinitely.” That marketing phrase of the metal producers sounds plausible, as we simply need to heat up and melt a bunch of scrap metal and cast and then roll or forge it into its new shape. With low-carbon heat, such perfect recycling could even largely eliminate GHG emissions from metal production,… Read More »