School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
Organisation profile
Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.
Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.
Main research areas
Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.
Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.
Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.
We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.
Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.
Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.
With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.
Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses
In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.
- Published
From consumers to pioneers: insights from thermal energy communities in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands
Herreras Martínez, S., Mesman, J., Sneum, D. M., Holstenkamp, L., Harmsen, R., Menkveld, M., Akerboom, S. & Faaij, A., 12.2025, In: Energy, Sustainability and Society. 15, 1, 31 p., 5.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Ivano Alogna, Christine Bakker, Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds). Climate Change Litigation: Global Perspectives. Leiden: Brill Nijhoff, 2021. Pp. 543. ISBN: 9789004447608.
Bäumler, J., 04.09.2024, In: European Journal of International Law. 35, 3, p. 763-771 9 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Critical reviews › Transfer
- Published
Water-related problématiques: five archetypical contexts of water governance
Bilalova, S., Villamayor-Tomas, S. & Newig, J., 01.2025, In: Ecology and Society. 30, 1, 40 p., 10.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Accepted/In press
Negotiating With Yourself and Winning: The Dual Commitment Model for Intrapersonal Sustainability Goal Conflicts
Sevincer, A. T., Majer, J. M. & Trötschel, R., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Motivation Science.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Is Russian gas still needed in the European Union? Model-based analysis of long-term scenarios
Barner, L., Holz, F., von Hirschhausen, C. & Kemfert, C., 01.03.2025, In: Energy Strategy Reviews. 58, 10 p., 101646.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
The complex spatio-temporal dynamics of organic micropollutants in tidal rivers
Schneider, J. R. L., Kümmerer, K., Logemann, J. & Radke, M., 01.03.2025, In: Chemosphere. 373, 10 p., 144180.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Green chemistry and sustainable chemistry related to water challenges: Solutions and prospects in a changing climate
Mahjoub, B., Fersi, C., Bouteffeha, M. & Kümmerer, K., 01.04.2025, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 52, 11 p., 101000.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
More than food production: Assemblages of values underpinning women-led agroecological initiatives
Vizuete, B., Groß, M., García-Llorente, M., Oteros-Rozas, E. & Martín-López, B., 03.2025, In: People and Nature. 7, 3, p. 684-699 16 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- E-pub ahead of print
Social perceptions of carnivores across the globe – a literature review
Newsom, A., Lozano, J. & Martín-López, B., 09.02.2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 24 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Nachbarschafts-Artenvielfalt kann trockenheitsbedingte Zuwachseinbußen bei Bäumen mindern
Härdtle, W. & Fichtner, A., 23.08.2024, Berichte der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft. Stojakowits, P. (ed.). München: AVM Akademische Verlagsgemeinschaft, Vol. 32. p. 119-131 13 p. (Berichte der Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft; vol. 32).Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Article in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review