News

The future of mobility

No topic is as controversial in Germany and at the same time as popular as that of mobility. For many it is bitter necessity, for others great pleasure. However, because emissions continue to rise in the transport sector, the industry is under pressure. The fears of change are great, but future-proof mobility brings more quality of life than stopping this key turning point. This is demonstrated by the new factor^y magazine Mobility.

From Knowledge to Action

Action and Trade is the new factor^y magazine which is now published from german translation. It mentions the best acteurs to achieve the Paris Agreement, tells about nudging and assisting apps, creates a new anti-fossile understanding of Google and Facebook businesses, shows that solidarity and helpfulness is human, discuss sustainabilized free trade agreements and asks for slow retail in times of hourly online deliveries.

Divestment is a coming global trend: New factor^y magazine online

Divestment is the elimination of investments in fossil energies. It is not yet considered a global trend, but it has the potential to become one – it is growing in countries, cities and organizations. How powerful it is, how it can be implemented and which directions investments should take instead the new factor^y Magazine Divestment reports.

Bound on Rebound: New factor^y-Magazine Rebound

Rebound effects are growing. Most efficiency gains are leading to fewer resource savings than expected. How high are these effects, how are they measured and how can we limit them? Answers in the factor^y Magazine Rebound, which is ready to download.

European Resources Forum (ERF) on 9 – 10 November 2016

Environmental tax reform for climate protection and social justice

In industrialized nations, an environmental tax reform has the chance of reducing social inequality in leaps and bounds. However, to have that impact, revenues from the taxation of carbon emissions would have to be used in full to lower the income tax. 

Magazine Sisyphus about Failure and Frustration is online

Where do we stand on the matter of sustainable development? If you ask sustainability activists and scientists, you often hear sobering facts and considerable disappointment concerning the achievements so far. The factor^y magazine Sisyphus collects articles about the sustainable engagement, the beauty of failure, figures to not give up, happy islands, power and the Anthropocene.

Flood damages in Germany could multiply under climate change

Flood-related losses can be expected to increase considerably in Germany as a result of climate change, a new study shows. Extreme events like the severe floods along the river Elbe have already illustrated the potentially devastating consequences of certain weather conditions such as severe rainfall events, when continuing intense rain can no longer be absorbed by the soil and water levels in the rivers rise. Without appropriate adaptation, flood-related damage of currently about 500 million euros a year could multiply in the future, the comprehensive expert analysis published in the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences highlights.

Planetary Urbanism – The Transformative Power of Cities in 50 Selected Works

“Planetary Urbanism – The Transformative Power of Cities” is the publication of the competition entitled “Planetary Urbanism”, which was launched in 2015 as the second „Critique of the Present“ competition after the first competition „Out of Balance“ in 2012 by the architecturial magazine ARCH+.

S/he – the factor^y magazine issue about gender, economy and resources is online

Sustainability is always connected to gender equality. Thus, during transformation to a sustainable society the gender perspective should be focused more often. The new magazine issue S/he features articles about subtle and not so subtle gender distinctions: gender specific products, shopping aspects, women's sustainable businesses and family oriented working concepts.

How finance ministers could fall in love with carbon pricing

Pricing CO2 could help to end the deadlock of international climate policy. Finance ministers around the world would have reason enough to favor carbon taxes or emissions trading even if they do not take into account the risks resulting from unabated greenhouse-gas emissions, a new study shows. While the outcome of the world climate summit in Paris is uncertain, national governments and their economies can profit from taxing CO2 instead of taxing capital or labour – irrespective of whether or not other countries cooperate.

The Hope for COP

Forget the COP or is the Climate Summit in Paris a realistic chance for change? Since the beginning of the UN-Conferences the worldwide greenhousegas emissions increased for 60 percent after all. The Wuppertal Institut positions itself with a catalog of postulations to the Conference of the Parties (COP).

If a major economy takes the lead, warming could be limited to 2°C

Though most countries around the globe agree that warming must be limited to 2 degrees Celsius to avoid the raft of climate risks, they clash about who should do what to reach this target. Hence the issue of allocating greenhouse-gas emissions reductions will be key for the outcome of the world climate summit COP21 in Paris. Scientists now found what amount of emissions reductions it takes for a major economy to lead out of the climate gridlock. They conclude that effectively limiting climate change is possible if a major economy acts as a forerunner, while other nations follow – and, importantly, by doing so they do not have to agree on common criteria for fairness.

World climate reports need more policy-relevance

More policy relevance and leaner: This is what a team of authors around the outgoing co-chair of Working Group III at the IPCC, Ottmar Edenhofer, would like to see in the much-needed reform of the IPCC. They advocate that the future IPCC should assume a greater role in presenting solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Indeed, this is one way in which the political relevance of the IPCC could be enhanced following the climate summit in Paris.

factor^y Magazine "Wish-for-Happiness" published

factor^y magazine number eight in english language is published. It is titled in the hyphenating way "Wish-for-Happiness", is available online in a few articles and in complete illustrated PDF version for download.