As part of the parliamentary deliberations on the planned Climate Compatibility Act for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, IKEM was invited to submit an expert statement.

Simon Großmann presented this statement to the state parliament’s Committee on Agriculture on 11 March 2026, emphasising that the Act could make an effective contribution to achieving climate targets, particularly if certain aspects of the draft are further specified.

Together with the Research Centre for Energy Economics (FfE), IKEM – with contributions from Leandra Schulz, Friederike Allolio and Susan Wilms – has published a comprehensive study on decarbonisation pathways for Saxony’s economy. The findings are clear: the transformation is technically feasible, but faces economic, regulatory and infrastructural challenges.

This publication by the Mobility Department compares successful approaches in European countries to improving mobility in rural areas and ensuring social participation. The analysis of five case countries provides valuable insights into how clear strategies, binding standards and long-term funding can also strengthen the German context.

In this editorial, Ievgeniia Kopytsia analyses how resilience, understood as a dynamic governance concept in times of multiple global crises, can help not only to manage crises but also to use them as opportunities for just and sustainable transformation.

Till Reinholz and Michael Kalis show how the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) is driving far-reaching changes in peatland protection, while highlighting the law as both driver, constraint and mediator of sustainable transformation.

The second conference of the European Association of Climate Law (EACL) will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 17–18 September 2026.

The call for abstracts has now been published. Researchers are invited to submit contributions on developments in climate law ten years after the Paris Agreement until 24 April.

We are convinced that climate justice and gender equality are closely interconnected. Through our work and projects, we actively contribute to advancing gender equality.

Accordingly, we participated in the Global Women*’s Strike Day on 9 March 2026, hosting a workshop on gender inequality in mobility and taking part in the demonstration at Brandenburg Gate.

On 10 March 2026, we welcomed students from Agnes Scott College (USA) at IKEM. In a workshop organised by the Climate and Innovation Department, participants explored the current state of climate change, strategies for enhanced climate action and the challenges of implementing the energy transition.

The semi-annual workshop of the Research Information System for Mobility and Transport (FIS), held on 11–12 March 2026, focused on a planned new interface for the FIS website and on automated driving in public transport. The potential integration of AI functionalities into the FIS platform was also discussed.

Within the WÄRME4ALLE project, IKEM is researching reliable, effective and socially equitable approaches to implementing the heat transition in neighbourhoods. At the project meeting on 11 March 2026, partners discussed, among other topics, the transferability of identified best practices and the next steps.

The “PlanTieFEn” project received the award for best poster at the BEWEGT Conference on 18 March 2026. The poster was designed by Julie Hertel with contributions from Annika Weber and Ingo Uhlig.

The project’s final conference also took place on 9 March, presenting proposals on how to shape the energy transition in a socially and culturally differentiated manner.

At the Energy Roundtable on 19 March 2026, discussions centred on current developments regarding grid connection. The event featured contributions from Dr Boris Scholtka and Franziska Rothe of Addleshaw Goddard.

IKEM Managing Director Philine Wedell participated on 19 March 2026 in the panel “The Heat Transition: Cities on the Frontline of Change”. The discussion addressed the specific challenges and opportunities of the heat transition, using Berlin as a case study.

At the seminar “Hydrogen Safety: Fundamentals”, organised by DVGW Kongress GmbH, Leony Ohle provided insights into legal issues relating to the safe operation of hydrogen installations.

An expert workshop organised by IKEM, ifeu and Prognos on 25 March 2026 focused on the monetisation of the positive health effects of active mobility.

On 26–27 March 2026, IFZO hosted an interdisciplinary workshop in Greifswald exploring how resilience is being redefined in the context of climate, ecological and geopolitical change.

The final workshop of the BioM0876 project took place on 30 March 2026.

Contributions include:

• Ievgeniia Kopytsia: Pieces of Resilience: Between Crisis and Transformation

• Till Reinholz / Dr Michael Kalis: Transformative Law Using Peatland Protection in the Nature Restoration Regulation as an Example

• Valentine Zheng: EU ETS Revenues – Legal Framework for the Use of Funds

• Dr Heinrich Comes: Naivety? Visionary Force? Overdue Regulation? On the ICJ Climate Opinion of 23 July 2025

News and case law updates include:

• Federal Administrative Court requires revision of the Climate Action Programme
• Agreement on key points of the Building Modernisation Act
• Draft Renewable Energy Act foresees end of solar subsidies for small PV systems
• Recent climate-related case law from Germany and Switzerland

Are you researching legal aspects of climate change and interested in publishing your work? Contact the editorial team: klimr@ikem.de.

Join the IKEM team! We are currently recruiting:

• Doctoral candidates (m/f/d)
• Legal trainees
• Interns

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