An Open Conversation with His Excellency Mr. Steffen Seibert, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Israel Published: 22 June 2026 As Ambassador Steffen Seibert concludes his term in Israel, he reflects on October 7, the war, civil society, rising extremism, and the personal journey that changed him. A thoughtful conversation with Dr. Ofer Waldman on politics, responsibility, and hope.
Green Hydrogen: The Future of the Global Energy Transition? Published: 24 June 2024 Explainer What is green hydrogen, and how is it produced? How can it decarbonize industries and transportation? What are its main challenges? How does it compare to blue hydrogen? What impact will it have on the energy transition? Karin Jensen
What Role does the Grid System Play in the Energy Transition Process? Published: 25 April 2024 Explainer This text discusses the grid system's essential role in sustainable economic and societal transformation, focusing on grid development in the energy transition, including its components, challenges, innovations, and future solutions. Andrzej Ceglarz
Germany´s Transformation Towards a Circular Economy Published: 19 April 2024 Backgrounder This text presents and discusses Germany's efforts to enhance the circularity of its economy to meet the country's Paris climate goals while maintaining its economic competitiveness. Henning Wilts
Tracing the Evolution of Germany's Cleantech Strategy Published: 30 March 2024 Backgrounder An overview of Germany's environmental protection evolution, highlighting the shift from pollution control to the development of renewable energy and clean technologies. Severin Beucker
Promoting Sustainable Mobility: A View from the Netherlands Published: 30 March 2024 Explainer Given the Netherlands' heightened climate commitments and the European Green Deal’s mobility strategy, promoting sustainable mobility is now a key priority for Dutch policymakers. How are they achieving this? Maria Kottari
Transitioning to a Circular Economy: What are the Challenges? Published: 29 March 2024 Explainer This text explores the urgent need for a global shift to a circular economy amidst rising population and resource demands. It discusses the concept, benefits, challenges, and essential actions for a sustainable future.
What is Sector Coupling? Published: 6 February 2024 Explainer The target vision of zero-carbon emissions presents an enormous challenge to economies around the world and is still not within grasp. How can sector coupling play a significant role in achieving this goal?
Energy poverty in Israel Published: 29 March 2023 Explainer What is energy poverty, and how does it impact Israeli households? With rising energy prices, what challenges do they face, and what solutions are being explored? Na’ama Teschner
Is the DSA Revolutionizing Algorithmic Risk Governance? Published: 1 November 2022 Explainer Online platforms shape communication but face moderation challenges. The DSA introduces risk governance for platforms to improve online safety. What are the DSA's procedures and impact? Christian Djeffal
Fellow Spotlight - Interview with Dr. David Dunetz Published: 5 July 2022 Interview A conversation with Dr. David Dunetz about his fellowship experience and the importance of sustained international exchange of knowledge in policy debates, and especially in addressing the crises of climate and democracy in the 21st century.
What is Power-to-X? Published: 24 April 2022 Explainer The world is shifting to renewable energy to fight climate change, but sources like wind and solar are intermittent. Power-to-X technology helps by storing energy, increasing demand flexibility, and balancing supply.
What are Germany's Traffic-Light government’s plans for accelerating the country's energy transition? Published: 12 April 2022 Spotlight Germany aims to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate neutrality by 2045. This Spotlight examines Germany's "traffic-light" government's Energiewende plans against the backdrop of fossil fuel price hikes and supply concerns following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sascha Samadi
Energy Efficiency in Germany: What is at Stake? Published: 4 April 2022 Explainer With few natural resources, Germany relies on energy efficiency to lower costs and reduce dependency on fossil fuel exports. Optimizing energy efficiency is crucial to achieving the goal of 100% renewable energy production. Senta Schmatzberger
State Support for Energy Efficiency in Buildings: A View from Germany Published: 4 April 2022 Commentary One of the most influential European practice schemes to support energy efficiency investments in the building sector with public funds, was developed jointly by the German government with the KfW bank in 2006. Notwithstanding the program's scale, the annual renovation rate is still only around 1%, while around 3% is needed for a decarbonization of the building stock by 2045. Senta Schmatzberger
An Algorithm for Peace? AI in International Peace Mediation Published: 3 April 2022 Commentary AI in the context of international conflict is more likely to be associated with lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS) on the battlefield. Hiding on the other side of that coin are, however, rewarding questions regarding AI’s possible contribution to peace. Katharina Höne
Energy Performance Certificates: Understanding Their Role and Current Status in Germany Published: 3 April 2022 Commentary Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) enable the comparison of building energy consumption, making energy efficiency a key selling point for property sales or rentals. This analysis examines the current status of EPCs in Germany. Senta Schmatzberger
Fashion Sustainability: Achieving Circularity in Clothing Consumption Published: 3 April 2022 Explainer The staggering amount of waste generated by the disposable fashion model has become a major problem over the years. Newer business models utilize systems thinking and aim to move away from a linear system and towards a closed loop scenario. Olga Cieslak
What role could off-shore wind energy play in Europe's energy transition? Published: 30 March 2022 Explainer Focusing on offshore wind and green hydrogen: What are the prospects of transforming the North Sea into a green power plant for Europe? Karin Jensen
Meat Consumption and Climate Change: What's the Connection? Published: 30 March 2022 Explainer Meat consumption is a contentious issue for multiple reasons, with many condemning the practice on moral, ethical or religious grounds. But its climate impact is indisputable. Rachel England