Energy scarcity and material abundance characterize the current global economy. Demand for energy services in buildings, transport, and industry cannot be met, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered multiple sanctions and supply chain disruptions for fossil fuels, mainly in Western Europe but also beyond. But even before, energy costs were on the rise due to… Read More »
Vom 20.6. bis zum 27.6. besetzte das Kollektiv von Studierenden „Transformations-Universität 2.0“ den Hörsaal 1010, um die Universitätsleitung dazu aufzufordern, den sozial-ökologischen Notstand auszurufen (die konkreten Forderungen sind hier nachzulesen: [1]) Ich erkläre hiermit meine Solidarität mit den Studierenden und bekunde meine Unterstützung des Anliegens der Etablierung einer Transformationsuniversität. Die Studierenden stellen richtig fest, dass… Read More »
Carbon neutrality requires systematic transformations and revolutions of both energy and metal systems. Countries, cities, and companies across the world are pledging to become carbon neutral within the next few decades. These will evoke a systematic transformation in all industrial and service sectors, in which the low-carbon transition in the energy system is regarded as… Read More »
In a recent opinion paper, [1] Julian Kirchherr complains about that “up to 50% of the articles that are now being published in many interdisciplinary sustainability and transitions journals may be categorized as “scholarly bullshit”. These articles, Julian states, “typically engage with the latest sustainability and transitions buzzword (e.g., circular economy), while contributing little to… Read More »
Der Lebensstil der Mittelklasse in den reichen Industrienationen ist mit derzeitigen Konsummustern und industriellen Technologien nicht global skalierbar. Zu hoch ist sein Material-, Wasser- und Flächenbedarf für die Bereitstellung von Ressourcen für Einfamilienhäuser, PKW-basierte Verkehrsinfrastruktur, Fleischprodukte, oder Bioenergie. Der hohe Ressourcenverbrauch dieses konsumbasierten und auf die Erfüllung individueller Bedürfnisse orientierten Lebensstils ist nicht direkt sichtbar,… Read More »
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 »