Hi ,

Following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, there is a considerable funding gap in the German Climate and Transformation Fund. In a position paper, IKEM Director Prof Dr Michael Rodi points out which new financing paths could be taken in order to avert setbacks in climate protection and other transformation processes.

The issue of finance will also be the focus of the COP28 World Climate Conference, which begins today in Dubai. IKEM is on site and is organising a side event on 8 December on the reconstruction and transformation of the Ukrainian energy sector after the war.

We would like to share two additional December event highlights with you: On 4 December, we will discuss the next steps for the strategic hydrogen ramp-up at the next edition of the Berlin Energy Roundtable and on 7 December, we invite you to the book launch of "Sun, Wind & Wires".

Last but not least, we would like to share an announcement with you that we are very proud of: Following a successful Kickstarter campaign with our friends from Ellery Studio, we are now launching EQT – the Gender Equality Toolkit! You can find out more about this innovative education concept in our November newsletter.

We hope you enjoy the read! 

Until next time, 

The IKEM Communications Team

— Prof Dr Michael Rodi, Director at IKEM and Expert on Climate and Financial Constitutional Law

With its ruling on November 15, 2023, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021 null and void. The law aimed to allocate EUR 60 billion in unutilized credit appropriations to the “Climate and Transformation Fund” (KTF), originally earmarked for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. According to the decision by the Federal Constitutional Court, this measure is not compliant with the constitution, as it is incompatible with the so-called debt brake. The new purpose does not meet the requirements for credits taken out due to emergencies. In a recently published position paper, Prof Dr Rodi outlines new ways of financing climate protection.

With the resource collection "EQT: The Gender Equality Toolkit for Working Women and Friends" presented today, the creative and strategy agency Ellery Studio and the research institute IKEM are promoting a culture of inclusion and diversity in the workplace. The EQT is an innovative and interactive educational package designed to help recognise and overcome gender-specific biases and disadvantages in the workplace.

From door to door – the 5th Annual Conference of the National Competence Network for Sustainable Mobility (NaKoMo) was dedicated to innovative and digital rural mobility solutions. Aligning with the conference's focus on rural mobility, our colleague Matthias Hartwig, Head of the Mobility Department at IKEM, was invited to present the MobiRural project.

"The discussions on sustainable mobility during the conference underscored the multifaceted challenges in rural areas, requiring tailored approaches. Toolboxes with successfully tested measures, which municipalities can draw upon, prove particularly helpful. This is precisely where MobiRural comes in, developing a handbook and training for designing flexible and affordable mobility solutions in rural areas," says Hartwig.

At the last edition of this year's Forum Wärmewende at the Representation of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the central question was how municipal heat planning should be optimally utilized and structured to contribute to the implementation of the heat transition. The evening's speakers included Karoline Otte (MdB), Dr Kai Lobo (VKU), Ingo Meyer (Stadtwerke Neubrandenburg), Helmut Bramann (ZSHK), Susanne Schmelcher (Dena) and Dr Dominik Schäuble (BMWK). The follow-up dates for 2024 will be announced shortly.

The ENGAGE project explores the potential of social innovations for a successful and inclusive implementation of the energy transition. During the fourth meeting of the partners, the foundations for activities in the remaining project months were established. In addition to advancing the Energiewende-O-Mat released in June 2023 and an ongoing study on the possibilities of social innovations, two innovation workshops will be a key focus in the coming year. These workshops will emphasize civic engagement and the development of social innovations in the context of the energy transition.

On December 8, 2023, IKEM will host a side event at the Ukrainian Pavilion at COP28, bringing together researchers from the recently established Europe-Ukraine Energy Transition Hub (EUETH), representatives of the Ukrainian government as well as the European Commission and international experts for a panel discussion. Together, they will discuss the legal and political options for the reconstruction and reorganisation of the Ukrainian energy sector.

Hydrogen, as a forward-looking energy carrier, can play a crucial role in the decarbonisation of the mobility sector, industry, power generation, and heat supply. We would like to discuss with you how the strategic integration of hydrogen into our energy system can be successful at the next Berlin Energy Roundtable. This event will take place on December 4, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Berlin Representation of VNG AG in Berlin-Mitte (Taubenstraße 19, 10117 Berlin).

We cordially invite you to the virtual book launch event of "Sun, Wind & Wires", on December 7, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. The textbook makes the complex world of energy understandable and accessible to a wide audience. At the book launch, the authors will talk about the book, its inspirations and future possibilities for telling the story of the energy transition.