Sustainability

——Plastics can also be made of renewable raw materials. But that means that the plastics industry is now competing with the food industry for valuable farmland. Can bioplastics help make an entire industry more sustainable?

——Activism comes in different shapes and forms. With United States-based climate policy think tank Energy Innovation, Anand Gopal works to provide federal and state governments with the analysis and research necessary for creating actual laws on climate change. In our conversation, we review global symptoms, the legitimacy of climate protests and the next hot ticket for clean-tech investors.

——To establish a working circular economy, we need to toss out the term “trash” instead of tossing out valuable raw materials. The path leads from EU-wide regulations to clear labeling and even to a promising discovery in a cemetery in Leipzig.

——It isn’t every day that an entire industry practically reinvents itself. Yet for the steel industry, this transformation process is urgently needed. After all, the iron and steel industry is responsible for more than 7 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. In Germany, one of the major steel producing countries, it accounts for as much as 30 percent of industrial emissions and 6 percent of overall emissions.

——Solar energy is one of the mainstays of the energy transition. The installations that capture it are rarely aesthetically pleasing, however. A new design concept is aiming to solve the aesthetics dilemma of solar panels for good.

——Are we utilizing energy in the most efficient way? Especially in the case of photovoltaic energy, much is lost if it isn't used immediately or stored. After more than a decade, a possible solution for energy storage could establish itself.

——“The future belongs to hyrdogen”

——The Euro­pean Union has issued a plethora of regulations and directives to ensure that the economy becomes more sustainable. This will prove challenging for companies, but also provides opportunities in the struggle against climate change.

——Ms. Verbeek, what do you think about…restoration?

——Business Unit Manager Green Energy Sustainability Thore Lapp explains the role of green hydrogen in the European Green Deal.

——Combating climate change without “negative emissions” won’t be possible. Emitted pollutants must be captured. One method is known as Direct Air Capture (DAC), and the recovered carbon dioxide can be useful in other areas over the long term.

——Deserts such as the Sahara are continually expanding, and humankind is responsible for some of this desertification. Now there are large projects to help halt this expansion, but it isn’t easy to reclaim land from the desert.

——Mr. Fischer, what do you think about ...GUILT?

——We’re taking a look here at four of the greatest challenges—and pre­sent some innovative solutions.

——Calculations and forecasts

——Due to a warming climate, the bark beetle has become one of the greatest threats to German forests. Can satellite imagery help stop the plague and protect the trees?

——Ethical obligation

——Humor plays an important role in communication particularly in times of crisis. In this interview, journalist and speech writer Vazrik Bazil explains why jokes liberate us from within – and describes situations in which it is best to refrain from them.

——You can only control the consequences of your actions if you know what they will be. We’ve taken a closer look at four important trends—and played out some possible scenarios.

——Biodiversity is declining worldwide. Climate change and resource exploitation are to blame. This is dangerous for humanity, and there are as yet few effective countermeasures. What can companies do?