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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.

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.

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.

With a string of elections looming that will see some four billion people worldwide go to the polls in 2024, Brandenburg Sustainability Platform met for its fifth plenary session on the shores of Lake Seddin south of Potsdam. The event attracted over 90 participants, who took part in discussions, workshops and a so-called “market of opportunities”, with a further 50 people following online.

Affected communities in former lignite-mining regions are critical of the work of Germany’s Coal Commission. With the phase-out still unfolding, a new study shows that further efforts and new strategies must be developed to ensure local communities are more closely involved. More public participation, more cooperation between stakeholders, and conflict mediation are all needed, the study reveals.

Real-world laboratories have become increasingly popular in sustainability research as a means to trial innovations for transformations under real-life conditions. In a special issue of the journal GAIA, RIFS scientists and colleagues offer an overview of the state of research on real-world laboratories.