The Arctic sea ice is melting at record speed. Droughts in the USA, Kazakhstan and Ukraine are pushing up the prices of basic foods. The increasing scarcity of energy and mineral resources is creating economic and social risks. The worsening crises in the climate, energy/resources and food security nexus demonstrate, almost daily, that we are reaching the limits

Countless non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social movements worldwide are working for the transformations of energy and agricultural systems that are so urgently needed. On the one hand, there are the environmental groups which are committed to protecting the climate or the rainforests; on the other, there are...

Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker is one of the pioneers of energy efficiency and eco-taxes in Germany. Founding President of the Wuppertal Institute (1991-2000), he was key in formulating the Energiewende (energy transition) debate in Germany. Previously he was a Professor...

Since 2008, global crises have come thick and fast – affecting our energy, resources, climate, food security, and economic and financial systems. We are living through a time in which planetary boundaries are not merely a theoretical concept but are increasingly being felt on a real-life level. The issues that this raises have global significance – but they also affect each and every one of us.

Whether nationally or globally: the numbers are so shockingly high, it's hard to imagine. Nine billion euros, for instance, is annually granted to German industry for electricity costs. Worldwide, subsidies are estimated at a whopping one trillion US dollars...

Interview with Lina Li, Policy Officer at "Greenovation Hub", China, about energy security, providing food for future generations and the transformation of the Chinese energy structure towards a low carbon energy system.

The food, climate and finance crises have affected millions of people on this planet. But they have also forced governments to confront the fact that “business as usual” is no longer an option. Yet much still needs to be done to reconfigure the economic structures that have led to these crises. Civil society actors have a critical role...

The international community’s performance at this year’s United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro was disappointing and the outcomes were lacklustre. At the UN climate negotiations, too, countries are still failing to commit to the ambitious action that is needed to...

Saving water, switching electricity supplier, buying fair, organic & regional products, donating for a good cause, car sharing with the neighbors – many people already do it. But there are other possibilities for everyone to expand the own contribution to sustainability. Activities requiring positive personal engagement – such as volunteer work...

The People’s Republic of China faces massive challenges. It must develop and implement effective strategies for equitable, sustainable, low-carbon development. Average per capita CO2 emissions in China have now increased to...

The impetus required for a worldwide future-proof, post-fossil social and economic model will only be generated if regions which until now have not been engaged with sustainable development models to an adequate extent, if at all, can be encouraged to make progress in this field. In this context...

It’s a David and Goliath scenario: the tiny fishing village of Totoral in the Atacama desert in northern Chile takes legal action against powerful energy companies – and wins! German energy giant E.ON, in a joint venture with a Brazilian partner company, had planned to build a gigantic 2,100 megawatt...

This summer, Germanwatch announced a screenplay competition on the theme of the "Great Transformation". The aim was to find a film script that addresses the need for a post-fossil fuel economy and a socio-cultural as well as an economic change towards sustainability. From a total of 13 entries...