Knowledge for sustainable development

Every day, around 480 tons of waste end up on the streets of Khulna, the largest city in the densely populated Ganges Delta. This includes vast quantities of plastic that is washed into the oceans via Bangladesh’s neighboring waters. Without countermeasures, marine pollution will continue to...

In order to achieve its climate goals and move towards more energy independence, the German government is planning a 100-billion-euro support package. In that context, the CO2 reduction targets for existing buildings are coming into focus. There is great potential in the provision of space heating...

The United Nations has declared ‘Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible’ its theme for World Water Day on 22 March 2022. This is because policies and decision-makers have paid little attention to the global groundwater problem thus far. In many places, this precious resource is contaminated, and...

Microplastics and the possible risks for the environment are highly debated. However, whereas scientists still see many open questions and have yet to complete their risk assessment, the general public ranks the environmental and health risks posed by microplastics as relatively high. Researchers...

Transdisciplinary research is all about initiating joint learning processes in science and society to tackle societal challenges, something which is particularly beneficial to sustainability research. However, the approach is complex, both in terms of the methodology and design and the communication...

On October 1, 2021, ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research solemnly bid farewell to its co-founder Thomas Jahn as scientific director. In addition to a festive event, a symposium took place under the title “Crisis, Catastrophe, Normality – the Responsibility of Science for Shaping the...

Jordan is one of the world's most arid countries and is particularly affected by climate change and extreme weather events. Heavy rain and flash floods repeatedly lead to high property damage and fatalities. A research network led by ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research is pursuing the...

From pilot project to large-scale implementation: The process of agricultural food production with water reuse successfully developed in the HypoWave research project is entering large-scale application for the first time. In the course of the follow-up project HypoWave+, the research network has...

In the winter semester of 2021/22, Flurina Schneider, scientific director of ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, will take up her professorship for Social Ecology and Transdisciplinarity at Goethe University Frankfurt. The joint professorship of the independent research institute ISOE...

Heat waves, floods and storms – recent extreme weather events have highlighted what the IPCC’s current 6th Assessment Report describes scientifically: The Earth system is in turmoil, its planetary boundaries have been reached. Not only the climate is affected, but also biodiversity, freshwater and...