Frauke Wiese, Nicolas Taillard, Emile Balembois, Johannes Thema ... (2024). The key role of sufficiency for low demand-based carbon neutrality and energy security across Europe.

In: Nature Communications 15, 9043
 

A detailed assessment of a low energy demand, 1.5-degree-compatible pathway is provided for Europe from a bottom-up, country scale modelling perspective. The level of detail enables a clear representation of the potential of sufficiency measures. Results show that by 2050, 50 per cent final energy demand reduction compared to 2019 is possible in Europe, with at least 40 per cent of it attributable to various sufficiency measures across all sectors. This reduction enables a 77 per cent renewable energy share in 2040 and 100 per cent in 2050, with very limited need for imports from outside of Europe and no carbon sequestration technologies. Sufficiency enables increased fairness between countries through the convergence towards a more equitable share of energy service levels. Here we show, that without sufficiency measures, Europe misses the opportunity to transform energy demand leaving considerable pressure on supply side changes combined with unproven carbon removal technologies.

Nicolas Kreibich (2024). Toward global net zero: the voluntary carbon market on its quest to find its place in the post-Paris climate regime.

In: Energy Research & Social Science 104, 103257
 

This focus article traces the evolution of the voluntary carbon market (VCM), putting emphasis on the more recent developments following the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. It focuses on the interplay between the privately governed VCM and the global climate regime under the United Nations (UN). For years, the VCM and the UN carbon market operated in parallel and mutually influenced each other. The adoption of the Paris Agreement, however, marked a turning point for the VCM. It triggered the proliferation of net zero targets, sparking the interest in the VCM as a supplier of carbon credits to offset companies' remaining emissions. At the same time, the global scope and ambitious targets set by the agreement have put the future of the VCM in limbo, raising concerns about double claiming and more generally, questioning the adequacy of offsetting. Considering these challenges, numerous stakeholders have started a process to redefine the rules of the market to ensure its credibility and legitimacy. While some areas of convergence were identified, the VCM's private governance has long been unable to address the question of how to deal with double claiming and the claims companies should be allowed to make. In this situation, signals from international policy and regulation under national policy point the way forward for the VCM. By moving from offsetting toward a contribution claim model, the VCM may overcome its "identity crisis" and find a new place within the broader climate change regime.

Jens Marquardt, Shymasree Dasgupta, Chris Höhne, Markus Lederer, Pooja Snkhyay (2024). Promises and pitfalls of polycentric federalism: the case of solar power in India.

In: Global Environmental Politics 24, 75–99
 

Recognising that no central authority can combat climate change, scholars have pointed to the potential of polycentric governance in tackling climate change. Yet, empirical evidence for such a claim is scarce, particularly in the Global South. This study analyses the characteristics, promises, and pitfalls of polycentric governance to promote climate mitigation efforts in three Indian states. Our contribution is twofold: (1) conceptually, we propose a framework to investigate the promises and pitfalls of polycentric climate governance in a federalist system with a particular focus on aspects of scaling and institutionalisation, and (2) empirically, we compare solar power development across three Indian states with favorable conditions for solar power but varying performance. Based on a qualitative analysis of interviews and documents, we show how state governments with different party backgrounds have been vital in implementing policy changes and overcoming political barriers. Still, very few bottom-up initiatives exist and were successfully institutionalised.

Felix Große-Kreul, Laura Altstadt, Aileen Reichmann, Nora Weber, Katja Witte (2024). Understanding public acceptance amidst controversy and ignorance: the case of industrial Carbon capture and storage in Germany.

In: Energy Research & Social Science 118, 103838
 

Carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) are being discussed and tested in different countries to reduce industrial emissions. Public opinion about industrial CCS (iCCS) can be a key factor in whether it will be implemented. Yet, measuring public acceptance of CCS is a challenge: on the one hand, the use of CCS is the subject of intense and controversial political debate. On the other hand, a majority of people is still not aware of it. Thus, prior research has used informed choice questionnaires or experimental study designs to measure ad-hoc informed or spontaneous opinions. In this paper, we propose a new approach to measure public opinion, including only respondents with stated prior knowledge about iCCS. Based on a quantitative survey in Germany (n = 1845), three questions are examined: do the results support our new approach to measure public opinion about iCCS? To what extent is there acceptance of iCCS and what factors influence acceptance in Germany? And what are implications for both the national political level and for the local deployment of iCCS? Results from the regression analysis show that five attitudes influence the general acceptance of iCCS in Germany: perceived local risks of climate change, advantages outweigh disadvantages, arguments about unavoidable emissions and about iCCS as a bridge technology, and the acceptance of local storage. Furthermore, descriptive results show high levels of associated risks with the transportation of CO2 and lacking trust in relevant stakeholders for iCCS deployment (industry and energy utilities).

Süheyb Bilici, Georg Holtz, Alexander Jülich, Robin König, Thenxi Li ... (2024). Global trade of green iron as a game changer for a near-zero global steel industry? a scenario-based assessment of regionalized impacts.

In: Energy and Climate Change 5, 100161
 

The currently most promising approach for reducing CO2 emissions of the global steel production is reducing iron ore in shaft furnaces with (green) hydrogen instead of blast furnaces. Unlike to the liquid iron produced in blast furnaces, the direct reduced iron produced in this route (green iron) exists in a solid state and can be transported at reasonable costs over long distances. This allows for spatial decoupling of the iron reduction step from the steelmaking step and may lead to global trade in green iron as a new intermediate product in the steelmaking value chain. This article assesses the potential impact of a global green iron trade in terms of shifting energy demand between regions and in terms of cost savings by comparing three scenarios for a global near-zero GHG steel industry: The Domestic scenario, assuming strict regional co-location of green iron and steel production; The Max Trade scenario, assuming early emergence of a global green iron market and the Intermediate Trade scenario, assuming late emergence of a global green iron market. In the trade scenarios, 12-21 per cent of global crude steel is produced from traded green iron in 2050. 15-26 Mt/a of hydrogen consumption is relocated to global "sweet spots", resulting in cost savings of 2.2-3.9 per cent of the global annual steel production costs, which can provide important support for the development of net zero steel production. Enablers and barriers for global green iron trade are discussed.

Julia Terrapon-Pfaff, Sibel Raquel Ersoy, Magdolna Prantner, Peter Viebahn (2024). Country risks analysis for the development of green hydrogen and synthetic fuel sectors in the MENA region.

In: Frontiers in Energy Research 12, 1466381
 

Hydrogen plays a pivotal role in global efforts to decarbonise energy and industrial sectors. The European Union, and particularly Germany, anticipate a significant reliance on hydrogen imports in the medium to long term, identifying the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as a key potential producer and exporter of green hydrogen and its downstream products. Yet, investment risks pose significant challenges to advancing the region’s green hydrogen and synthetic fuel industries. However, systematic comparative risk analyses for these sectors across MENA countries remain limited. This study addresses the research gap by conducting a comparative risk assessment for renewable energy and green hydrogen and synthetic fuel development in 17 MENA countries. A comprehensive framework evaluating macro and micro risks was applied, along with two contrasting risk scenarios to explore future developments under different risk conditions. The findings reveal that while MENA countries hold promise, most face at least moderate risks, underscoring the complexity of fostering these industries regionally.

Konrad Schoch, Manuel Bickel, Christa Liedtke, Fabian Hemmert (2025). Circular economy from scratch: A novel project-based learning method to increase motivation in metal recycling among industrial design students.

In: MethodsX 14, 103137
 

Project-based learning, with its emphasis on "learning by doing", is the dominant teaching method in industrial design. Learners are supposed to be motivated to tackle complex problems such as those in the dynamic field of sustainability. However, it is still unclear how the process of increasing motivation within projects can be systematically targeted for specific sustainability challenges and directed towards potential later pro-environmental behavior.

The project-based learning method presented in this paper, framed by a normative decision-making model, aims to intrinsically motivate industrial design students to engage in the exemplary circular economy field of metal recycling and at the same time promote necessary professional competencies on the metal, alloy, product and system level. It is demonstrated which specific intervention measures can be suitable to achieve this goal and how they can be methodically employed. Preliminary quantitative evaluation results indicate that the project-based learning method can indeed strongly motivate the target group.