Pius Kobler & Ulrike Gölker Zeugin, SOIL, “Why Soil Can—and Should—Be Considered Public Infrastructure”, in MAKRONOM, May 11, 2026

Land is a central foundation of economic development and social well-being, yet it usually plays only a minor role in today’s economic discourse. As a finite resource, land raises central questions regarding reliable basic services within planetary boundaries: from housing, energy, and mobility to industry, agriculture, recreational spaces, and ecological functions.

Marcel Ronge, DATA CENTER, “Billion-Dollar Project on Hold: Protests Halt Data Center in Maintal”, in tagesschau, May 11, 2026

The data center that a U.S. corporation planned to build in Maintal was expected to cost several billion euros. Since it was to be powered by its own gas-fired power plant, local residents sounded the alarm. The project is now on hold for the time being. 

CLIMATE CHANGE, “European State of the Climate 2025”: “Concerns About Europe's Climate: Record Heat From the Seas to the Arctic”, in zdfheute, April 29, 2026

Climate change is becoming increasingly evident in Europe: According to researchers, no other continent is warming faster—and the impacts are already severe.

CLIMATE CHANGE, “Why Extreme Weather Harms Health”, on Deutschlandfunk, April 24, 2026 

As global temperatures rise, health risks are increasing. Global warming has a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. In Europe, more and more people are dying as a result of extreme heat.

Rowena Mason and Lisa O’Carroll, BREXIT, "Britain should seek to rejoin EU, says civil servant who led Brexit department", in The Guardian, Fri 24 Apr 2026
Britain should seek to rejoin EU, says civil servant who led Brexit department  

Matthias Thome, AMOC, The Atlantic Current Is Collapsing – Bringing Colder Winters to Europe, in GEO, April 23, 2026 

A new study shows that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could weaken more rapidly than previously estimated. The climate in Northern Europe would be particularly affected. A dangerous chain reaction looms 

Thomas Hummel, ENERGY TRANSITION CONFERENCE, “Coalition of Doers”: 54 Countries Want to Move Away from Oil, Gas, and Coal, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 23, 2026

Colombia and the Netherlands are hosting the first international energy transition conference—the German government is also attending in Santa Marta. Notorious obstructionists must stay out this time. 

By Elisabeth Dostert and Alexander Hagelüken, GERMANY, “How Industrial Decline Is Threatening Prosperity”, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 17, 2026

Automobiles, chemicals, mechanical engineering: Germany’s once-thriving industrial sector is shrinking. Jobs are disappearing, and more companies are filing for bankruptcy. Can this trend be stopped?

UNHEALTHY DIET, “Sausage, chips, frozen pizza – just how harmful processed foods are for children”, in DER SPIEGEL, April 17, 2026

Much of what children enjoy eating is not good for them. Experts warn of the consequences for their health and development. An overview.

NEW HEAT CATEGORY, “It will soon be ‘unbearably hot’ in Japan”, in DER SPIEGEL, April 17, 2026

"Kokusho-bi”: This is how Tokyo and Osaka will be warned of temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in the future; the term prevailed over “Stay-at-Home Day.” In 2025, the country experienced its hottest summer since records began.

Kerstin Kullmann, OBESITY IN CHILDREN, “Fatty liver disease is no longer uncommon even in childhood”, in DER SPIEGEL, April 5, 2026

About one million children and adolescents in Germany are living with obesity. Pediatrician Susann Weihrauch-Blüher explains what parents should look out for from the very beginning.

Bernhard Zand, GEOPOLITICS, “The Battle for the Energy of the Future Has Now Truly Begun", in DER SPIEGEL, April 2, 2026
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is forcing the world to rethink its approach. Will the transition from the fossil fuel era to the renewable energy era succeed—or is a new conflict looming, pitting the “Axis of Oil States” against the “Block of Electric States”?

Dany-Knedlik G.; Holtemöller O.; Kooths S.; Schmidt T.; Wollmershäuser T., REPORT, “Energy Price Shock Overshadows Fiscal Stimulus – Growth Momentum Fades”, KIEL Institute, April 2026

“This Crisis Is Only the Beginning”, in DER SPIEGEL, April 1, 2026

The energy price shock is likely to halve the growth of the German economy this year. But forecasts from leading economic institutes suggest even worse is to come.

FOSSIL FUELS, TOBACCO, SUGAR, “How industry fuels diseases ike diabetes and cancer", in GEO, March 30, 2026
The activities of profit-driven companies also play a role in the development of chronic diseases. Medical experts warn of a lack of protective measures 

Jan Oliver Löfken, GLOBAL WARMING,“Extreme Weather Even with Moderate Warming”, in Welt der Physik, March 25, 2026

A new climate study shows that even with just two degrees Celsius of global warming, severe droughts, heavy rainfall, and other climate impacts are a threat.

Theresa Palm, FUSION ENERGY, “There’s an incredible amount of naivety there”,

in Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 23, 2026

According to a new study, fusion power plants—if they ever come into existence—will have to supply electricity at a high cost in order to compete in the market.

Lingxi Tang, Bessie Noll, Anurag Panda & Tobias S. Schmidt, "Fusion power experience rates are overestimated", Published: 23 March 2026, Nature Energy (2026)
Fusion power plants (FPPs) are viewed as a promising source of firm low-carbon electricity, attracting large investments. However, their future cost is highly uncertain. Current projections assume widely varying starting costs and highly arbitrary experience rates (ERs) of 8–20%. Here, leveraging recent insights from innovation literature, we examine the currently assumed ER range for FPPs by linking technological characteristics of the two dominant fusion approaches, magnetic fusion and laser-based inertial fusion, to ERs. We find that FPPs’ large unit size, extraordinary complexity and intermediate need for customization are empirically linked to ERs of 2–8%, which are much lower than currently assumed for FPPs. When paired with the expected high initial capital costs, the results raise questions about the viability of FPP in future net-zero energy systems. We urge for the adoption of ERs for FPPs that are justifiably lower than currently assumed in cost projections, energy system modelling and investor valuations, and for the research community to explore alternative fusion designs with greater cost reduction potential.

CLIMATE CHANGE, “Global warming has accelerated significantly, according to a study”, in DIE ZEIT, March 6, 2026

Researchers have studied global warming, factoring out natural temperature fluctuations. The result: The Earth is heating up at an ever-increasing rate.

WORLD OBESITY DAY: “More than a million Bavarians are far too overweight”, in DIE ZEIT, March 4, 2026

More than a million people in Bavaria are far too overweight—and this is placing a strain on the healthcare system. In Bavaria alone, the costs associated with obesity amounted to an estimated 197 million euros, according to Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU). She reported that in 2024, approximately 1.1 million people with public health insurance in Bavaria were affected by obesity, i.e., morbidly overweight.

Jan Dörner and Christian Unger, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, Google Maps and Co.: Attack planning at the click of a mouse worries experts, in Berliner Morgenpost, January 9, 2026

Berlin. A lot of data about Germany's power supply can be found online. Utilities and experts warn that this openness is becoming a danger.

Simon Plentinger, ETERNAL CHEMICALS, “Muesli, Flour, and More: Some Grain Products Heavily Contaminated with PFAS”, on BR24, December 5, 2025

Muesli, cookies, pasta, wheat flour: The environmental organization PAN had grain products in the EU tested for PFAS residues. A large proportion of the samples were heavily contaminated in some cases. The environmentalists are issuing warnings and calling on policymakers to take action.

 
STUDY BY PAN EUROPE, Eternal chemicals in the food chain: Grain is also contaminated, in Mouvement écologique, December 4, 2025

The results clearly show that our food chain is contaminated with PFAS and that urgent action is therefore needed. [...] The geographical diversity, the range of grain products analyzed, and the consistency of the results [...] strongly suggest that this is a structural problem across the EU. 

CO₂ CAPTURE, Researchers use waste heat to make the CO₂ ‘vacuum cleaner’ radically cheaper, in Focus online, 25 November 2025

A new process developed by TU Wien filters CO₂ from the air using significantly less energy – and could drastically reduce the cost of capture. 

Christine Leitner, FOSSIL FUELS, Are you waiting for the end of oil? You could be waiting a long time, in Stern, November 4, 2025

Oil is still available in abundance and cheap. But it could soon become a luxury commodity, because fossil fuels are not infinitely available, say energy experts. Really?

Britta Fecke, COMMENTARY ON BIRD FLU, An end to factory farming would be the best protection, on Deutschlandfunk, November 2, 2025

The real reason for the spread of avian influenza is factory farming. Anyone who wants to prevent the culling of hundreds of thousands of chickens, geese, and ducks in the future must therefore put an end to this form of farming in poultry operations.

OXFAM REPORT, Climate Gap: How the Rich Are Impacting the Climate, in OXFAM Germany, October 29, 2025

A person in the richest 0.1 percent causes over 800 kilograms of CO₂ emissions per day, as much as a person in the poorest half of the world's population causes in an entire year. The super-rich are escalating the climate crisis through their consumption and investment emissions. 

Manuel Schmitt, Oxfam expert on social inequality: “The super-rich are setting our planet on fire, while the poorest, who contribute least to the climate crisis, are already being hit hard by its consequences.”

GREENHOUSE GASES, CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere rises to its highest level since 1957, in DIE ZEIT, October 15, 2025

According to the World Meteorological Organization, the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere has risen more sharply than ever before. Other greenhouse gases are also increasing rapidly.

Jörg Blech and Matthias Rillig, excerpt from the book “MOTHER EARTH,” The valuable realm beneath our feet, in Der Spiegel, October 6, 2025
Human intervention has already damaged or even destroyed more than a third of all land areas. But we can only survive if we preserve the soil and its mysterious inhabitants.

Frauke Rostalski, CLIMATE PROTECTION AND MORALITY, People who drink oat milk are not acting in a more responsible manner, in Der Spiegel, October 5, 2025

Whether it's cargo bikes or tofu cutlets, citizens are under moral pressure to behave in a climate-friendly manner. Not only is this pointless, it can even be harmful. [...]

Because whether individuals behave in one way or another is currently irrelevant when it comes to climate protection. As long as there is no globally functioning overall concept, individual contributions are irrelevant; in the worst case, they may even contribute to further exacerbating the problem.

By Jacqueline Piwon, rbb, 365 METERS HIGH, The world's tallest wind turbine is growing in Brandenburg, in Tagesschau, September 21, 2025

A superlative wind turbine is currently being built in Schipkau in Lusatia: at 365 meters, it will be almost as tall as the Berlin TV tower. It could revolutionize the effectiveness of wind energy.

Stefan Schultz, ENDANGERED POWER SUPPLY, Why Katherina Reiche wants to build gas-fired power plants on a massive scale, in Der Spiegel, September 3, 2025

The Federal Network Agency warns of gaps in the power supply. The Minister of Economic Affairs is using this as an opportunity to push ahead with the construction of new fossil fuel power plants. But the strategy is highly risky. 

Interview by Oliver Imhof with Franz-Stefan Gady, AIR WAR IN UKRAINE, 

“Whoever manages to dominate the zone up to 4,500 meters will have greater advantages,” in Der Spiegel, July 25, 2025

Military expert Franz-Stefan Gady has just returned from the front lines in Ukraine. He describes how the Russians are responding to drone tactics and explains whether the Ukrainians will be able to compensate for their lack of personnel.

Lisa Nienhaus with Veronika Grimm, SZ SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT, “I don't see us currently on track to be climate neutral by 2045”, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, June 30, 2025

Economist Veronika Grimm on climate policy in the age of Donald Trump, a better heating law for Germany, and the plans of Economics Minister Katherina Reiche.

Leon Pollock, Extreme temperatures could break records, What is rolling towards Germany is “not normal”, in t-online, June 28, 2025

A heatwave is rolling towards Germany. Temperatures well above 35 degrees are expected across the country. Will the all-time weather record be broken?

André Wolf, INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICITY PRICES, Medicine threatens to become a drug, in MAKRONOM, June 26, 2025
For the first time, the EU is allowing subsidies for electricity costs for energy-intensive industries under certain conditions—a concession to Germany's demand for an industrial electricity price.

Günther Strobl, High electricity prices are a complete political failure, in Der Standard, June 24, 2025

If households and businesses are to actually get cheaper electricity, the federal and state governments must stop colluding with electricity suppliers.

ENERGY, Electricity prices in Austria are among the highest in the world, in Der Standard, June 20, 2025
Austria ranks eighth in a global comparison. According to a comparison portal, consumers in Austria pay an average of 36.9 cents per kilowatt hour

Interview by Markus Becker and Martin Hesse with Christian Bruch, INTERVIEW WITH SIEMENS ENERGY CEO, "What good is the German government's energy policy, Mr. Bruch?", in Der Spiegel, June 21, 2025
Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch wants more speed in the energy transition and explains why consumers and companies need to prepare for higher prices.

Christian Helten, FISCHZUCHT, Iceland und die Zombielachse, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, 20 June 2025
Salmon is the most popular edible fish in the world, with Germans alone eating 200,000 tons a year.  But farming it is anything but sustainable: the animals often get sick. And they threaten their wild counterparts. A visit to Iceland, where residents of pristine fjords are fighting back against aquaculture.

ELEKTROAUTOS, Lithium for e-cars could become scarce as early as 2030, according to a study, in Der Standard, June 12, 2025
The growing demand for electric cars could lead to a global shortage. Scientists predict the biggest bottleneck for Europe

Interview by Clara Pfeffer and Christian Herrmann with Andreas Schierenbeck, TRANSFORMERS AS A BOTTLE NECK, “We are in a super cycle of electrical energy”, in ntv.de, April 19, 2025

Transformers are huge boxes made of copper and steel—and indispensable for the energy transition. This 150-year-old technology ensures that electricity can be transported from power plants to consumers such as Deutsche Bahn or to power outlets. “It is the core of our power grids,” says Andreas Schierenbeck.

Johann Grolle, EARTH WARMING BECAUSE OF WOLKENSCHWUNDS, And then the oceans will boil, in Der Spiegel, April 5, 2025
Will it one day be as hot on Earth as on Venus? Researchers warn: there are fewer and fewer clouds in the sky. The consequences for the climate could be dramatic.

Jan Petter and Ilja C. Hendel, THE SALMON LIE, How I lost my appetite for poke bowls and sushi, in Der Spiegel, March 31, 2025

The myth: Eating salmon is healthy and harmless. But aquaculture destroys the habitat of wild fish. How a year of research changed my view of the industry – and how sustainable consumption could still succeed.

Andreas Orth and Britta Probol, How land consolidation and structural change led to the death of villages, NDR, March 29, 2025
With land consolidation from the mid-1950s and structural change in agriculture, small farms, stores, restaurants - and young people - disappeared. The village was increasingly seen as backward. Does rural life still have a future?

Benjamin von Brackel, This redistribution is so massive that it is destabilizing the entire planet, Der Wüstenplanet, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 27, 2025

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in describing the trend of the global water cycle in the context of climate change. The result is alarming: the continents are drying out.

Thomas Hummel, The energy transition will only succeed if Germany goes digital, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 24, 2025. 

The good news: the expansion of wind and solar energy is progressing well. So well, in fact, that there is also bad news: the electricity system is reaching its limits.

Darius Rimkusch, Glacial melting threatens food and water supply of two billion people, in Watson, March 21, 2025

We in this country know that man-made climate change is one of the most pressing problems of our time. Nevertheless, phenomena such as glacial melting seem very far away. However, this is a fallacy.

Christof Gertsch and Mikael Krogerus, CLIMATE CHANGE, The Depleted Sea, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 21, 2025

Without the sea, the Earth would not be habitable. It has swallowed our environmental sins and slowed the heating of the atmosphere. But now it is reaching its limits.

Kathrin Hondl and Sandra Biegger, ARD Geneva, Europe's moated castle is melting, Tagesschau, March 21, 2025
The world's eternal ice is melting. This is particularly evident in the “water castle of Europe”: the Swiss Alps. The effects are considerable - and can also be felt in Germany.

Benjamin von Brackel, CLIMATE CHANGE, Are lakes running out of air, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, March 21, 2025

Climate modelers say that the dissolved oxygen content in lakes is decreasing worldwide due to warming. Is this also the case in Germany, and what are the consequences? 

MORE THAN 1700 STUDIES EVALUATED, Pesticides Contribute Significantly to the Biodiversity Crisis, in Der Spiegel, February 13, 2025

Pesticides help to control unwanted plants, animals and fungi. However, they also affect organisms that they are not supposed to, says a team of researchers – and has direct poison alternatives on offer. 

Christoph Seidler, THE WORLD'S TALLEST WIND TURBINE, The Giant of Schipkau, in Der Spiegel, February 7, 2025

In southern Brandenburg, the second-tallest structure in Germany is being built: a 365-meter-high wind turbine. Its builders promise a far better electricity yield than conventional plants. Can it work? 

Comment by Michael Bauchmüller, COP 29, The Baku climate conference is a warning to the world, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 24, 2024

It was not much that prevented the meeting in Azerbaijan from failing. Fortunately, that did not happen. But anyone who celebrates this as a success fails to recognize the seriousness of the situation. It's getting uncomfortable. 

SCANDAL AT THE SUMMIT IN BAKU, Poorest countries leave climate negotiations in protest, in Der Spiegel, November 23, 2024
Several groups of countries have broken off a key round of negotiations at the climate summit in Baku. They left the room in protest: “We don't feel that we are being heard.”

Julia Kraus, Sören Müller-Hansen, Oliver Schnuck, Dominik Wierl, KLIMAZUKUNFT, The clock is ticking, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 15, 2024
Soon the world will have used up its carbon budget for the 1.5-degree target. How hot could it get? And what reasons are there to be optimistic or pessimistic? An analysis.

Benedikt Müller-Arnold and Stefan Schultz, Old decision overturned, victory for oil giant Shell – what the historic climate ruling means, Der Spiegel, November 12, 2024 

45 percent less CO₂ by 2030: Climate activists wanted to impose specific targets on energy giant Shell. A court has now rejected this. The ruling changes a number of things for the oil and gas industry. 

Interview by Christoph von Eichhorn, CLIMATE RESEARCH, What will the Earth look like if it warms by more than two degrees?, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 11, 2024 

The world is heading for a warming of more than three degrees Celsius. It has been this hot several times in the Earth's history, says geologist Kasia Sliwinska. But that is no reason to sound the all-clear.

FUTURE US CLIMATE POLICY, Trump apparently preparing second withdrawal from Paris Agreement, Der Spiegel, November 9, 2024

Donald Trump's departure from climate protection is becoming more concrete. According to the “New York Times,” the team of the next US president is working on the renewed termination of the Paris Agreement – and the opening of national parks to mining.

Benedikt Müller-Arnold, A SMALL RENEWAL OF DIRTY ENERGY, Almost 30 percent of Germany's electricity in October came from coal, in Der Spiegel, November 1, 2024

Little wind and expensive gas have led to Germany generating an unusually large amount of coal-fired electricity at the beginning of autumn. However, the balance for the year as a whole has been better so far.

Marc Hasse, CONSEQUENCES OF GLOBAL WARMING, Climate change is becoming increasingly dangerous for humans, in Der Spiegel, October 30, 2024

Spain is drowning in rain. Almost simultaneously, experts are warning of the growing health risks posed by climate change. In addition to floods, extreme heat and droughts in particular are driving up mortality rates. 

Christph Gurk, CLIMATE DISASTER, South America dries up, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, October 29, 2024 

Dead fish, dried-up plants, and indigenous communities that can no longer find food: the continent is being hit by a once-in-a-century drought for the second year in a row. The causes are also man-made – the consequences for nature and the climate are devastating.

Marian Blasberg, DROUGHT IN BRAZIL, The desert is coming, in Der Spiegel, October 25, 2024
Brazilian scientists are observing how a region in the middle of the humid tropical country is running out of water. What does this mean for the people who live there?

Comment by Thomas Hummel, ENERGY SUPPLY: If the BP boss insists on destroying the earth, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, October 24, 2024

According to a new UN report, humanity is heading for a 3.1-degree warming of the planet. And there are actors who don't care. So far, the good news on this front has come from the EU.

Christoph von Eichhorn, GLOBAL WARMING, Where the world stands on climate protection, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, October 24, 2024 

The Earth is heading for a three-degree warming, a UN analysis shows: there is a huge gap between targets and measures. The most important questions and answers.

Christian Stöcker, WORLDWIDE EXTREME WEATHER - The world sleepwalks into catastrophe, in Der Spiegel, October 13, 2024

This week, an article was published by renowned experts working around the globe. The message: we are racing unchecked into a climate apocalypse. “Milton” and “Helene” illustrated this once again. And the reaction?

Tobias Becker and Tobias Rapp, SOCIOLOGIST ON DEALING WITH CRISES - “Losses are the dirty secret of progress,” in Der Spiegel, October 13, 2024
For many people, the future is not a promise but a threat. What can be done when faith in a better world disappears? Here, sociologist Andreas Reckwitz explains how politics can prevent the worst.

Alina Schadwinkel, Temperature “overshoot”, One-way trip of three degrees? It's not going to happen, in Der Spiegel, October 10, 2024
The 1.5-degree target is probably out of reach. Would it be okay to briefly exceed it, and then cool the Earth again thanks to new technologies? A recent study leaves little room for this hope.

Julia Sica, CLIMATE CRISIS - Climate researchers: “We have exceeded the limits of the Earth's resilience”, in Der Standard, October 8, 2024
A new climate report shows that 25 of the Earth's 35 “vital signs” are in extreme areas. Hope for limitless growth and refugee movements are pushing societies to the limit, experts warn.

NEW NATIONAL FOREST INVENTORY – German forests become a climate issue, in Der Spiegel, October 8, 2024
Every ten years, experts record how much forest there is in Germany and what condition it is in. The latest study shows that the forests are not in good condition. As a result, German forests are no longer helping the climate as much as they used to.

Alexander Hahn, “Recession and debt – ‘sick man of Europe’: Raiffeisen sounds the alarm over Austria's competitiveness”, in Der Standard, October 7, 2024
The combination of a lack of growth, expensive labor and high debt is hurting the economy. Raiffeisen is in favor of measures to boost the economy.

DEFECTIVE HYDROGEN TRAINS IN HESSE – Disgrace for fuel cells, in Der Spiegel, October 1, 2024
The hydrogen trains are in the workshop, and buses are running instead, yet again: for almost two years, trains in the Taunus region have been constantly breaking down. Other regions are also despairing of the technology. Now they are turning to an alternative.

Nakissa Salavati, SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS – After the boom comes the waste, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 30, 2024
Solar energy is giving the energy transition in Germany an enormous boost. But all those modules will soon become hundreds of thousands of tons of electronic waste. And then? (...) So this is the other side of the solar boom. Dented PV modules, aluminum frames pushed out, thrown on top of each other, wedged into each other.

Marc Hasse, BIODIVERSITY – Many animal species in Germany are declining, researchers are shocked, in Der Spiegel, September 30, 2024

Intensive agriculture, environmental pollution: many species are declining, and the very basis of human life is threatened. A recent report paints a bleak picture. At least there are trends that give hope.

Susanne Götze, Jule Ahles and Anna-Lena Kornfeld, Carcinogenic and harmful to the environment - A climate killer called flaring, Der Spiegel, September 27, 2024
Flaring gas during oil and gas production makes people ill and is harmful to the environment. Despite all the promises, the companies are not stopping it. On the contrary. A data analysis shows the extent of the environmental disaster for the first time.

Hanno Charisius, EARTH SYSTEM RESEARCH – It doesn't help to declare the Earth a patient, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 27, 2024

 Annual health check-ups for the planet are supposed to convey the urgency of environmental problems. But these should have been known long ago.

TotalEnergies boss: “Trump loves oil and gas” – says Patrick Pouyanné, in Der Spiegel, September 25, 2024
Patrick Pouyanné runs a company that is one of the world's biggest climate sinners. He calls a rapid switch to renewable energy “quite complex” – and talks about the crucial role the U.S. will play in it.

Interview with Maria Sprenger - What influence nutrition has on the risk of dementia, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 11, 2024

Frank Jessen, scientist at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, explains which dishes are toxic to the brain and which guidelines should be followed when eating in order to age as healthily as possible in neurological terms.

Helene Aecherli and Philipp Blom in conversation: “We are at the greatest turning point of humanity,” in annabelle, July 21, 2024
Wars, climate crisis, weakening democracies: We are facing the greatest turning point that humanity has ever experienced, says historian and bestselling author Philipp Blom in a wide-ranging interview. But he also sees hope.

Arvid Haitsch, LACK OF CHARGING POINTS IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS - The blind spot of electromobility, in Der Spiegel, April 22, 2024

My house, my wallbox, my e-car - affordable electric driving seems like a privilege for the few. Tenants and homeowners often have to fight for their own charging connection. Some manage it anyway.

Thomas Mayer, EU-GIPFEL - Tapping €33,000 billion in private capital for Europe's growth, in Der Standard, April 18, 2024

Letta report: To strengthen Europe's competitiveness and single market, the EU should mobilize private investors for green and digital transformation.

Gerald Hosp, Saving the energy turnaround with hydrogen? Euphoria gives way to disillusionment in Switzerland, in NZZ, April 8, 2024
Green hydrogen is seen as an important component of the energy transition. But domestic producers are having a hard time.

Discussion - E-Fuels, the forgotten solution?, in Der Standard, April 4, 2024
Liquid fuel can simply use the current infrastructure, all combustion engines could continue to be operated immediately in a climate-neutral way.

Julia Sica, Sarah Kirchgatterer, SCHNITZELFÖRDERUNG - EU puts four times as much money into meat as into plant growing, in Der Standard, April 2, 2024

Livestock farming and animal feed are subsidized in the EU with 82 percent of agricultural subsidies, a study shows. This is more than previously assumed.

Martin Schlak, MODERN REACTORS - The questionable promises behind the new nuclear power, in Der Spiegel, March 21, 2024

Experts around the world are working on new nuclear reactors. They are supposed to be more economical and safer than previous plants. However, researchers have now come to a completely different conclusion in a comprehensive study. 

Ralph Diermann, ENERGY FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY - My house, my car, my wind turbine, in Der Spiegel, March 20, 2024

In Austria, households are allowed to join together to build solar or wind farms. In Germany, there are high hurdles to self-sufficiency. Is the federal government now clearing the way for this?

Veronika Grimm, BUDGET – Support, but not like that, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 24, 2023
After the Karlsruhe ruling: The government will fail if it continues to pursue climate policy primarily through the federal budget. There is also a completely different option.

Nora Laufer, Alicia Prager, CLIMATE CONFERENCE - World heads for three degrees of warming, in Der Standard, November 20, 2023 

There is still a small chance of slowing down warming to 1.5 degrees, a new report shows. UN Secretary-General Guterres speaks of an "addiction to fossil fuels"

A CONVICTED WEED EXPELLER - EU Commission extends the approval of glyphosate by ten years, in Der Spiegel, November 16, 2023

Will farmers still be allowed to spray the weedkiller glyphosate in the future? The member states of the European Union were unable to reach an agreement. Now the EU Commission has decided on its own.

Claus Hecking, DESPITE THE CLIMATE CRISIS - Fossil fuel companies invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new oil and gas fields, in Der Spiegel, November 15, 2023

Global emissions are supposed to fall significantly, but hundreds of companies are still planning to develop new oil wells. Climate activists are alarmed. The 1.5-degree target is in danger of finally failing.

Michael Bauchmüller, CLIMATE PROTECTION - UN warns: The world is failing to protect the climate, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, November 14, 2023

Shortly before the start of the climate summit in Dubai, the United Nations presents a forecast. According to the forecast, harmful emissions are continuing to rise. And only one of 42 indicators points in the right direction.

"PROTECTING NATIONAL INTERESTS" - China restricts exports of key battery raw material graphite, in Der Spiegel, October 20, 2023

The Chinese economy is weakening and closing itself off. Export licenses will be required in future for some graphite products that are important for battery production - officially to protect national security.

INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY IEA - Electricity grids are not designed for the rapid growth of renewable energy, in Der Spiegel, October 17, 2023

The electricity grids could be a weak point in the energy transition. The IEA warns that there is an urgent need for action - also due to the long planning procedures.

Energy transition: Standstill is fatal, we need a master plan, in Die Presse, June 27, 2023

Why a political standstill right now would be fatal for the energy transition, how the population is implementing its own "private energy transition" on rooftops and which laws still need to be passed in this legislative period.

Record amount of greenhouse gases accelerates global warming, in Der Spiegel, June 8, 2023

Despite all efforts: Every year, the world's countries emit more emissions. In the first comprehensive analysis since the publication of the last World Climate Report, researchers issue an urgent warning about the consequences.

Christph von Eichhorn, Energy transition - Germany faces new dependencies, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 9, 2023

According to a new analysis, the raw materials for electric cars, wind turbines and fuel cells often only come from a few countries such as Russia and China. But there are ways to counteract this.

Lisa Nienhaus, Why the green transition needs more competition, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 7, 2023

Robert Habeck's biggest problem is not cronyism, but electricity. The minister is making far too risky a bet here.

Inga Dreyer and David Schmidt, Those who live here smell the soot every day, in Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 28, 2023

Those who live here smell the soot every day. Nine girls take on the government and the oil industry in Ecuador.
 

Alicia Prager, Meaningful solution or risky distraction? These three graphics show what e-fuels can do, in Der Standard, March 28, 2023
Synthetic fuels have never been as much in the spotlight as they are today – since Germany threw them into the ring as a lifeline for cars with internal combustion engines. An overview of the most important facts. 

Rotor blades with a recycling problem, in Der Spiegel, December 22, 2022

More wind power is the goal, and not just in Germany. But important parts of the turbines cannot be used a second time, which leads to a lot of waste. A solution is hardly in sight.

EU Parliament President - Sassoli warns against excessive demands on climate protection, in Der Spiegel, December 26, 2019
“Equally fatal as doing nothing”: The President of the European Parliament urges caution in not overburdening the population with climate protection. The transition must be fair.