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The use of electric vehicles is expected to explode in rich countries the next decade. But what will happen to the retired lithium-ion batteries? Our researcher Jessika Luth Richter comments in the Guardian. “There is a lot of battery capacity left at the end of first use in electric vehicles. These batteries may no longer be able run vehicles but they could have second lives storing excess power

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/millions-electric-car-batteries-will-retire-next-decade - 2026-01-21

How can we shape our urban development towards sustainable and prosperous futures? This course explores sustainable cities as engines for greening the economy in Europe and around the world. We place cities in the context of sustainable urban transformation and climate change. We connect the key trends of urbanization, decarbonisation and sustainability. We examine how visions, experiments and inn

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/greening-economy-sustainable-cities-world-leading-massive-open-online-course-over-80000-learners - 2026-01-21

Every year the world adds more renewables than the year before. But is this growth on track to achieve climate targets? And what would it take to get there? In a paper published in Nature Energy Professor Aleh Cherp and co-authors analyse wind and solar power in the 60 largest countries. They show that in every country the growth of renewable electricity initially accelerates, then stabilises and

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/can-renewables-grow-fast-enough - 2026-01-21

Climate change is a global problem, but not all countries are equally committed to solving it. Will it be much more difficult to stop global warming if not everyone fully cooperates? In a letter published in Nature Climate Change, Aleh Cherp reflects on recent scientific advances in answering this question. In theory, climate change mitigation is least expensive under a universal carbon tax paid b

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/cost-realistic-climate-policies - 2026-01-21

Growing concerns about climate change, air pollution, human health and also the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have renewed the use of and policy interest in active transport (AT) modes, namely cycling and walking. However, what are the economic benefits of policies promoting AT modes in cities? This paper brings together interdisciplinary perspectives to assess the economic impacts of policies

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/assessing-economic-benefits-active-transport-policies - 2026-01-21

The different pathways for future energy systems may technologically look very much the same, but they differ fundamentally when it comes to ownership, distribution of profits and what local values are created. How this is played out in practice is discussed in this new article by Anna-Riikka Kojonsaari and Jenny Palm. New decentralized energy-generation technologies have turned economies of scale

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/distributed-energy-systems-and-energy-communities-under-negotiation - 2026-01-21

Nuclear power is an advanced low carbon technology that can help to reduce the risk of dangerous climate change. Yet, many countries, including those with rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions and enormous electricity needs, have not managed to construct a single nuclear power plant. Why do some countries use nuclear power and others don't? A new paper co-authored by Aleh Cherp answers this ques

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/why-nuclear-power-not-used-more-countries - 2026-01-21

The podcast returns with an episode on climate anxiety. Stay tuned, it will be published Monday 27 September! Read more about the podcast and listen to old episodes

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/new-season-our-podcast-advancing-sustainable-solutions - 2026-01-21

On 9 November 2015, the IIIEE and IVA are organising a seminar in Stockholm with the theme Towards a competitive low carbon economy - Paris 2015, with the purpose to focus on pathways towards a low carbon economy, in connection to the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, COP21, in Paris 2015, starting on 30 November. During the seminar in Stockholm, the IIIEE will present the project Policy inte

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/upcoming-seminar-towards-competitive-low-carbon-economy-paris-2015 - 2026-01-21

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can help tackle climate change and advance urban sustainability by using nature to deliver social, ecological and economic benefits. However, their success largely depend on implementation for which several barriers exist. For NBS to be meaningful in terms of delivering positive impacts in cities, we need better understanding of how implementation is addressed and embe

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/new-article-towards-operational-understanding-implementing-nature-based-solutions - 2026-01-21

We are happy to be back with a new season of the IIIEE podcast "Advancing Sustainable Solutions"! Anxiety is a natural emotional response to stress, fear, or danger. Then, it is no wonder why some are experiencing anxiety in the face of the climate crisis. Although not a clinical diagnosis, climate anxiety – and related terms like eco-anxiety, ecological grief, and solastalgia – describes the dist

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/new-podcast-episode-coping-climate-anxiety - 2026-01-21

Leonidas Milios, Jessika Luth Richter and Carl Dalhammar are authors of a new report, “Increasing the lifespan of products: policies and consumer perspectives”. The report looks at emerging European standards and policies to support longer lifetimes through design for durability and increasing repair activities. The report also reviews the literature outlining environmental benefits and trade-offs

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/iiiee-researchers-author-new-report-policies-increasing-lifespan-products - 2026-01-21

The ranking contains 250 courses from 100 universities based on 170,000+ learner reviews. “The best way to choose a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is to choose one that other people have taken and enjoyed” - Class Central. Read more about the ranking (link to Class Central's website)  Interested in taking the course? It free and you find it here .   

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/our-sustainable-cities-mooc-now-ranked-best-online-courses-all-time-class-central - 2026-01-21

All the latest news from the IIIEE in one place. Read the September issue Newsletter archive Subscribe to our newsletter

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/september-issue-iiiee-newsletter-out-now - 2026-01-21

In this new article published in Energy Research & Social Science, the authors offer a definition of the concept of new clean energy communities, discuss their potential for wider dissemination and identify four factors that contribute to the current mismatch between ambitions and reality in energy community development. Building on these factors, the authors present a broader framework inspired b

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/new-clean-energy-communities-polycentric-settings-four-avenues-future-research - 2026-01-21

Join the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE), with the aim to find pathways towards accelerating the transitions to climate-neutral and resource-efficient economies. We are looking for a highly qualified candidate to lead, develop and coordinate this interdisciplinary research and education institution with great ambitions. Read more about the position. Applicati

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/we-are-now-recruiting-director-iiiee - 2026-01-21

Article published on the Lund University website: 29/09/2015:Three years ago Steven Curtis won the first prize in Lund University’s ” Challenge Your Perspectives” scholarship competition for American students. Sweden’s ambassador to the USA, Jonas Hafström, handed him the diploma in Washington DC. On 25 September 2015 Steven once again received a diploma from the hands of Jonas Hafström – this tim

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/scholarship-winner-steven-curtis-graduates-iiiee-and-closes-circle - 2026-01-21

The production of renewable energy is increasing every year. But after analysing the growth rates of wind and solar power in 60 countries, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and Lund University in Sweden and Central European University in Vienna, Austria, conclude that virtually no country is moving sufficiently fast to avoid global warming of 1.5°C or even 2°C. Aleh Cherp, Professor

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/press-release-expansion-wind-and-solar-power-too-slow-stop-climate-change - 2026-01-21

Den sista augusti 2021 avslutades det nationella programmet Sharing Cities Sweden. Programmet har utgjort en viktig del av Viable Cities - det strategiska innovationsprogrammet för smarta och hållbara städer. Mycket fokus har legat på städers möjligheter att främja delning av saker, tjänster, platser och mobilitet. Vi ser att städer kan göra stora insatser för att främja en hållbar konsumtion, där

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/svenska-stader-leder-delningsekonomins-framfart-en-aktiv-delningskultur-driver-pa - 2026-01-21

In this new article published in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources, we collaborate with a team of researchers from around the world to critically review the contributions, advances and challenges related to research on energy efficiency. Labelled as the ‘first fuel’ for economic development, energy efficiency has become more prominent than ever in policy and scientific communities wor

https://www.iiiee.lu.se/article/what-have-we-learnt-after-four-decades-research-energy-efficiency - 2026-01-21