Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam

Brandenburg Sustainability Platform and Sustainability Council

Dr. Ira Matuschke

Dr. Ira Matuschke

Scientific Head of the Coordination Office
Doris Fuchs Leitungsteam RIFS

Prof. Dr. Doris Fuchs

Scientific Director
The transformation of rural areas is one of the focal points of Brandenburg's sustainability policy.
© Shutterstock/Ina Meer Sommer

Brandenburg faces a range of sustainability challenges, including the transformation of its agricultural systems, the energy and traffic transitions, the pursuit of a just transition in Lusatia, climate change adaptation, rural revitalization, the post-pandemic economic recovery, and the protection of water resources. The state government is actively engaging with these challenges and the revision of Brandenburg's sustainability strategy by 2024 will play an important role in these efforts. The RIFS supports the state government by coordinating the work of the Brandenburg Sustainability Platform and providing scientific support to the state's Sustainability Advisory Board.

Brandenburg Sustainability Platform

The Brandenburg Sustainability Platform was founded in 2019 and is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK). The aim of the platform is to provide an active communication forum and a lively network for the sustainability initiatives in the state. The RIFS hosts the platform's secretariat, which coordinates the platform's day-to-day business, maintains its website. and organizes innovative networking opportunities as well as supporting various working groups and the platform's steering group.

Brandenburg Sustainability Advisory Board

The Advisory Board was appointed by Minister President Dietmar Woidke in February 2021. It is coordinated by the State Chancellery and supported in its scientific work by the RIFS. Ortwin Renn chairs the panel of six experts. The Advisory Board supports the state government's efforts to revise Brandenburg's sustainability strategy, advises government on sustainability issues and works closely with the Sustainability Platform to ensure broad civil society participation. In its first phase (2021-2022), the Advisory Board will focus on two topics: a resilient post-pandemic recovery and the implementation of the energy transition in Brandenburg.

Projects

The Sustainability Platform Brandenburg is establishing a network for the many different sustainability initiatives in the state of Brandenburg.

Sustainability Platform Brandenburg

The energy transition in Brandenburg is one current focus of the Sustainability Advisory Council.

Scientific Support for Brandenburg's Sustainability Advisory Board

Team

Dr. Ira Matuschke

Dr. Ira Matuschke

Scientific Head of the Coordination Office
Darina Karaivanova-Saase

Darina Karaivanova-Saase

Administrator
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Ira Matuschke (RIFS Potsdam, left), Lena Eyerich (JuFoNa, 2nd from left), Marion Piek (Brandenburg21, 2nd from right) and Vinzenz Doer (JuFoNa, right) presented the Seddin Declaration to Minister Axel Vogel on behalf of the Sustainability Platform.

Seddin Declaration for Sustainability and Democracy

Representatives of Brandenburg’s Sustainability Platform presented the Seddin Declaration for Sustainability and Democracy to Minister of the Environment Axel Vogel and Parliamentary President Ulrike Liedtke at parliament today. Signed by 20 organisations and over 380 citizens, the Seddin Declaration highlights the connection between democracy and sustainable development and calls on politicians to establish an enabling environment for pathways towards greater sustainability in Brandenburg. The Seddin Declaration calls on policymakers to put sustainable development at the top of their agenda in the next legislative period.
Members of the Sustainability Advisory Board - Rüdiger Kuhn, Gesine Grande and Uta Steinhardt - present the recommendations to Brandenburg's State Chancellery.

Recommendations for the Transition to Sustainable Land-Use in Brandenburg

Brandenburg Sustainability Advisory Board presented its recommendations for a transition to sustainable land-use to the state government in Potsdam today. Drawn from the recent policy brief "Multiple-benefit Strategies for a Land-Use Transition in Brandenburg", the recommendations promote an approach to land-use management that operates within the planetary boundaries and upholds social standards. State Secretary Friederike Haase, who accepted the recommendations on behalf of the government, stated at the reception: “These recommendations cover a wide range of topics and will provide valuable input for our work. I would like to extend my thanks to the Advisory Board for this contribution.”
Plenary session Brandenburg Sustainability Platform Lake Seddin

Cooperation, Participation, and Trust Essential to Achieving Sustainability

With a string of elections looming that will see some four billion people worldwide go to the polls in 2024, Brandenburg Sustainability Platform met for its fifth plenary session on the shores of Lake Seddin south of Potsdam. The event attracted over 90 participants, who took part in discussions, workshops and a so-called “market of opportunities”, with a further 50 people following online.
Menschengruppe Partizipation Beteilgigung Demokratie

Fostering Sustainable Development as a Democratic Process

The Sustainability Advisory Board of Brandenburg state has developed a set of recommendations titled “Social cohesion in an open society – Democracy as a way of life” and presented them to the state government on 8 January 2024. The recommendations are based on a policy brief in which the authors recommend an all-of-government approach to address various issues of social justice and public participation as well as the goal of safeguarding quality of life while remaining within planetary boundaries.
The panel discussion with Ortwin Renn (RIFS), Minister Axel Vogel and Bernd Hirschl (IÖW).

Achieving Brandenburg’s Ambitious Climate Targets

Opened by Minister Axel Vogel, the fourth plenary session of Brandenburg's Sustainability Platform cast a spotlight on climate action in the state of Brandenburg. The platform, which was established five years ago, promotes sustainable development, supports efforts to achieve climate neutrality in Brandenburg, and fosters networking between diverse actors and initiatives. The platform is coordinated by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) and funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection (MLUK).
Pauline Pautz (left) and Jana Schelte from Youth Forum Sustainability Brandenburg (JUFONA) discuss the state of climate action in Brandenburg.

Platform for Sustainability in Brandenburg Mobilizes Society to Strengthen Resilience

Local and regional actors play a key role in sustainable development in Brandenburg. Bringing them together to support joint action is a core focus of the Platform for Sustainability in Brandenburg. Members gathered on 8 December for the platform’s annual conference drew a positive balance and acknowledged the platform’s role in developing potential solutions and mobilizing society. The platform called on government to step up the pace of change for sustainability.
IASS anniversary Schinkelhalle

“A flagship in the German sustainability landscape”

Following a two-year delay due to the pandemic, the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) celebrated the tenth anniversary of its foundation and its forthcoming integration into the Helmholtz Association with a festive ceremony in Potsdam under the motto “10+2”. The President of the German Environment Agency, Dirk Messner, gave the keynote speech and IASS Founding Director Klaus Töpfer attended as the guest of honour. The event concluded with a tribute to IASS Scientific Director Ortwin Renn, who will retire at the end of the year.
sustainability platform Brandenburg

Platform for Sustainability in Brandenburg launches Website

The Platform for Sustainability in Brandenburg provides a forum for discussion and networking opportunities for sustainable development initiatives from across the state. Following the launch of its new website – https://plattform-bb.de/ – regional initiatives, organisations and institutions are invited to register with the platform and explore opportunities to collaborate for a more sustainable Brandenburg.

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06.02.2024
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Starkregen, Hitze, Dürre: Kommunen im Wasserstress

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3. Sitzung des Nachhaltigkeitsbeirats des Landes Brandenburg

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