The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has increased significantly in recent decades. The concentration of methane in the atmosphere has increased significantly in recent decades. Shutterstock/Vaclav Volrab
Methane: A Short-Lived Gas With Far-Reaching Effects
Blog post by Thomas Gentsch
Meeresmüll
An International Treaty on Plastic Pollution
Check out the dossier by our ocean team!
Poland's national citizens' assembly on energy costs Poland's national citizens' assembly on energy costs. Wojciech Radwański
The Advisory Role of Citizens’ Assemblies in Germany and Poland
Blog post by Dorota Stasiak
Solar panels at a gas storage facility in the Netherlands. Solar panels at a gas storage facility in the Netherlands. Shutterstock / Sander van der Werf
How Decarbonization Will Transform the Geography of Industrial Production
Blog Post by Laima Eicke, Niklas Kramer and Rainer Quitzow
RIFS staff RIFS staff RIFS/Arne Weychardt
Research and Dialogue for Sustainable Societies
What RIFS stands for

Headline: Homepage

What we work on

Transformative Sustainability Research

RIFS conducts research with the goal of understanding, advancing, and guiding processes of societal change towards sustainable development. Our researchers collaborate with diverse actors from science, policymaking and public administration as well as business and civil society to develop a common understanding of sustainability challenges and generate potential solutions. The research approach is transformative, transdisciplinary, and co-creative.

About us

In brief

Hydrogen: Next booming sector for Chinese cleantech?

On his trip to China, German chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Bosch’s hydrogen drives plant. The facility illustrates there are still opportunities for German companies in future technologies in China. However, a RIFS-Study found that sustainable hydrogen production is not a priority for the central government for the time being.

Concept of Tipping Points Supports Sustainability Transformations

Carbon-intensive regions are currently undergoing structural change. A new study co-authored by RIFS researcher Franziska Mey explains how the concept of socio-ecological tipping points can be useful for transformations.

News

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RIFS Fellow Deborah Lika
RIFS Fellows

Everyone on Board for Climate Action? RIFS Fellow Examines UN Strategy for Civil Society Engagement

An active civil society is important in tackling climate change: it can push for new laws, hold the government accountable, and ensure that the interests of disadvantaged groups are addressed. It makes sense, then, that a growing number of civil society representatives are taking part in international negotiations such as the UN climate conferences. But how great is their impact? Deborah Lika hopes to answer this question during a year-long fellowship at RIFS.

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Host Julia Vismann and #FactoryWisskomm Fellow Sébastien Vannier record an episode of the podcast "Science and Politics in Conversation".
#FactoryWisskomm Fellowship

New Podcast: Science and Politics in Conversation

Good policy builds on a broad foundation of knowledge. A new podcast from the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) brings policymakers and researchers together to talk about the findings of science and how they can be used to support decision-making.

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Potsdamer Tag der Wissenschaften
#PTDW 2024

Play with Science and Embrace a More Sustainable Lifestyle

The 11th annual Potsdam Science Day will take place on Saturday, 4 May 2024. This year the event will be held on the GFZ Campus on Telegrafenberg. The Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) will be hosting a booth on site, where visitors can play a climate game developed by the European research project 1.5-Degree Lifestyles and learn about how making changes to different everyday activities can reduce our impact on the climate.

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Leipziger Straße in central Berlin: Many cyclists feel unsafe on this road.
Road Safety

Large Majority in Favour of Maintaining 30 km/h Zone on Leipziger Straße

In a survey conducted by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in June and July 2023, around 80 per cent of the 64 cyclists surveyed stated that a speed limit of 30 km/h should be maintained on Leipziger Straße in the central Mitte district of Berlin. Pedestrians surveyed expressed similar views. There is also strong support for the creation of a bike lane that is physically separated from motorised traffic.

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Dossiers

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Discussion at the Citizens’ Assembly for Democracy in Leipzig.

Deliberative Mini-Publics Dossier

Deliberative mini-publics are participatory processes in which a randomly selected and heterogenous group of citizens cooperate for a period to develop recommendations, ideas or solutions on a specific issue. RIFS accompanies these processes in various roles.

The ocean is full of plastic waste.

Protecting the Marine Environment: An International Treaty on Plastic Pollution Dossier

Marine plastic pollution poses a threat to the marine environment and negatively affects human health. An international treaty is currently being negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) to provide a comprehensive global legal framework addressing plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Scientists within the Ocean Governance research group at RIFS are closely following the negotiation processes and exploring the role of the future treaty in ocean governance.

Felder, Wälder, Windräder: eine Landschaft in Brandenburg.

Sustainability in Brandenburg Dossier

Brandenburg is facing major sustainability challenges, such as agrarian transformation, energy transformation, mobility transformation, transformation of Lusatia, adaptation to climate change, promotion of rural areas, revitalisation of the economy after the Corona pandemic, and water supply and water protection. As a Potsdam institute, RIFS is actively involved in sustainability work in Brandenburg.

Tsunami - iStockphoto - estt

Systemic Risks Dossier

Modern societies are vulnerable to “systemic risks” such as pandemics, financial crises, or climate change. Due to their complex and interconnected nature, systemic risks pose a particular challenge to conventional approaches to risk analysis and management. The research group on systemic risks at RIFS analyses risks and opportunities around transformation processes for sustainable development and, in a second step, develops policy recommendations for the governance of systemic risks.