Analyses & Statistics

According to a study by the Capgemini Research Institute on the Bioeconomy, companies across industries are focusing on the transformative potential of synthetic biology. 

Both companies and research institutes are currently working on biotechnological processes for the production of animal-free alternatives to dairy products. Researchers at the University of Göttingen investigated the acceptance of such products by consumers.

Intensive agriculture is considered to be one of the causes of species extinction worldwide. However, a diverse landscape can significantly promote biodiversity in the fields.

The Green Alliance think tank has analysed how a switch to a plant-based diet could affect land use in ten European countries.

Replacing 50% of meat and dairy products with plant-based alternatives by 2050 can reduce agriculture and land use related greenhouse gas emissions by 31% and halt the degradation of forest and natural land, according to a recent study.

Marine air worldwide contains microplastic particles that enter the atmosphere both from land sources and via seawater. A research team led by the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of the Sea (ICBM) at the University of Oldenburg conducted air sampling studies along the Norwegian coast to the Arctic.

The Earth Commission, an international coalition of scientists, warns that life on Earth is threatened by global warming, dwindling freshwater reserves, pollution and a reduction in biodiversity.

Forests are also suffering from an increasingly severe insect mortality. According to a study by the Technical University of Darmstadt, this also has an impact on other organisms.

Human excrements are valuable raw materials for fertilizers. They could replace commercial products at least in part, researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) show in a recent study.

According to the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) 14th Living Planet Report, declines in all observed populations of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles averaged 69% between 1970 and 2018.

Earth Overshoot Day 2022 is even earlier than last year. According to calculations by the Global Footprint Network, the world's population would need 1.75 Earths measured by its resource consumption.

Economists at the Finance for Biodiversity (F4B) Initiative warn in a study that the loss of biodiversity could severely damage the revenue streams of many countries.

According to a study by the University of Osnabrück on the acceptance of in vitro meat, 47% of consumers surveyed said they would eat a lab-grown burger more often instead of conventional meat.

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) has warned of dramatic effects of the increasing plastic waste in the oceans. It refers to a study by the Alfred Wegener Institute.

A new study by the University of Bonn and the Breakthrough Institute (USA) shows that genetically modified plants could have a positive impact on the environment and especially on the climate.

Human impact reshapes ecological communities through the extinction and introduction of species. Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have studied these processes using the example of birds on ocean islands. They were able to show that the loss of species causes a long-term unification of ecosystems and their functions.

A study recently published in the journal Science by RWTH Aachen University in collaboration with ETH Zurich shows that net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from plastics are possible.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2021, Earth Overshoot Day lands on July 29. This is according to calculations by the Global Footprint Network.

In order not to push the earth beyond its carrying capacity, global CO₂ emissions and resource consumption must be significantly reduced. A study by the International Institute for Sustainability Analysis and Strategies (IINAS) commissioned by the Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (NABU) shows where the potential for sustainable use of raw materials is greatest.

The chemical sector has a growing demand for carbon. Today, 450 million tonnes of carbon, mostly from fossil resources, are contained in chemicals and polymers. How can this growing demand be met in the future? This is the question the nova-Institut is investigating.