Publication & Media

The incoming German government will have to navigate challenges that are existential to Germany, Europe. This publication applies a feminist perspective to the far-reaching impact of the second Trump administration on global peace and security.

In Southern Afghanistan, an urgent crisis is brewing. Water scarcity is driving large-scale displacement and migration, threatening to escalate into a global issue. Decades of drought have depleted traditional water sources, pushing communities to rely on unsustainable groundwater extraction.

Global demand for critical and strategic raw materials is on the rise. These resources are indispensable, particularly for the transition to clean energy, but also within other industry sectors. In this issue of our Böll.Thema magazine, we provide insights into recent developments in resource extraction, the associated challenges, and, most importantly, opportunities for positive change.

Climate-related shocks are becoming more frequent and severe. More than ever, countries must invest in climate resilience and just transitions, but for many emerging market and developing economies, high debt burdens put achieving climate and development goals out of reach. A new policy brief explains the proposal advanced by the Debt Relief for Green and Inclusive Recovery (DRGR) Project.

Together with the Supply Chain Law Initiative, SOMO, Swedwatch and Germanwatch, we show in this short position paper why due diligence in downstream value chains is necessary and how it can be implemented. We also make key recommendations fort he EU supply chain law.

Under the banner “For Feminist Mobilisation”, the Global Feminist Pitch 2022 wanted to give attention to feminist movements that do not get the deserved space in the public discourse. Twelve feminists from Brazil, Syria, Jamaica, Belarus, Venezuela, Kenya, Romania, the Philippines, Nigeria, Nepal, and Hungary had the opportunity write about the feminist mobilisation in their respective regions in a format of their choice. The result is “Stories of Feminist Mobilisation”.

Petra Kelly was a co-founder of the German Green Party and known worldwide as a champion of ecology and human rights. She was tireless, fascinating and inspiring. So it's no surprise that her ideas and initiatives live on in today's politics: in the fight against climate change, for gender justice and the global validity of human rights. This year, the Heinrich Böll Foundation celebrates her 75th birthday and commemorates her violent death 30 years ago.

Well-designed energy bills are a key tool for consumers in the energy transition. The analysis “‘Clean’ Energy Bills for all citizens in the EU; a subject to an examination” aims at registering the content, structure, and format of the electricity bills in EU27, and examine their contribution to consumers’ empowerment to play an active role in the clean energy transition.

Large-scale renewable energy projects are being developed in the drylands of Africa, Asia and Latina America without adequate consultation with pastoralists that have been using the land for grazing their livestock since time memorial. This joint report by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Bread for the World examines evidence from existing large-scale projects and derives recommendations.

Recommendations and expectations for German and European policy.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has direct and significant implications for the Western Balkans. The lack of a consistent and convincing EU perspective and U.S. engagement in the region opened up space for other actors and scenarios aimed at recomposing the Western Balkans as well as promoted regressive tendencies throughout the region.

Feminist foreign policy is emerging as a new paradigm in international relations. The concept raises expectations of a more peaceful and just foreign policy, but its theoretical dimension and practical implementation are often not clearly defined. This toolkit tries to close this gap and clarify key terms of feminist foreign policy, as well as outline the practical application of the feminist approach to international diplomacy, to security, environmental, development, trade and migration policy.

Evolving around the main essay “Sharing life. The Ecopolitics of Reciprocity”, all contributions to this assemblage reflect a common understanding that ecology and biodiversity needs to be reclaimed – and constantly generated – as a process of lived and living realities in a system of reciprocal relationships.

Fossil fuel development, in particular oil and gas, promised vast riches in the past. Today it is exposing fossil fuel producers and their creditors to a massive stranded asset risk. Technological disruption with the rapid cost-reduction of renewable energy and storage technologies, in conjunction with the inevitability of increased climate action, are at the root of unprecedented uncertainties over the future of the sector. 

Both in Germany and internationally, the debate on the pricing of greenhouse gas emissions is experiencing a renaissance. However, an enlightened and realistic discussion of ways and means is needed so that CO2 pricing instruments can play a stronger role in climate policy. In this study, climate and energy expert Felix Chr. Matthes of the Öko-Institut examines the relevant elements of a CO2 pricing strategy. He gives an overview of design criteria and mechanisms of action.

Lateinamerika hat in Bezug auf Geschlechtergerechtigkeit viel erreicht. Doch Benachteiligung und Ungleichheit zwischen den Geschlechtern sind noch lange nicht beseitigt. Hinzu kommen neue Problembereiche wie Frauenhandel und Organisierte Kriminalität. In der zweiten Ausgabe der perspectivas Lateinamerika lassen wir Autorinnen und Autoren aus unterschiedlichen Regionen zu Wort kommen.

Der Abbau von mineralischen, fossilen oder agrarischen Ressourcen für den Export, der Extraktivismus, dominiert die Ökonomien Lateinamerikas. Dieser Entwicklungspfad ist jedoch zunehmend umstritten. Es mehren sich die Stimmen, die sozial und ökologisch gerechtere Alternativen fordern. In Perspectivas kommen sie zu Wort.

Wir möchten mit Perspectivas Nr. 3 den Blick auf den Umgang mit Migration in Lateinamerika lenken. Unsere Autorinnen und Autoren analysieren Ursachen und staatliche Politiken, zeigen auf, welche Auswirkungen das für Migrantinnen und Migranten hat, und berichten von Solidaritätsstrukturen, die praktische und politische Unterstützung leisten.

80% der Bevölkerung in Lateinamerika leben in städtischen Gebieten, die ein hohes Maß an sozialer Ungleichheit und räumlicher Trennung aufweisen. In der vierten Ausgabe von Perspectivas beschreiben und analysieren lateinamerikanische Autorinnen und Autoren die verschiedenen Aspekte von Mobilität und die Herausforderungen einer Verkehrswende in Lateinamerika.

In Lateinamerika wird ein Großteil der Energie aus fossilen Quellen oder großen Wasserkraftwerken gewonnen. Doch nicht nur diese, sondern auch erneuerbare Energieproduktionen haben oftmals negative Auswirkungen auf die lokale Bevölkerung und lösen vielfach Proteste aus. Perspectivas 5 setzt hier an und zeigt, dass eine nachhaltige Energiepolitik immer auch den gesellschaftlichen Kontext einbeziehen und soziale, ökonomische und ökologische Faktoren gleichermaßen berücksichtigen muss.

This paper explores the interplay of exnovation and innovation within the strategy for ecological modernization. It will argue for a more holistic approach.

It is time to upgrade the current debate on multilateralism, to make it greener and more global. We tried to do just this at our 20th Foreign Policy Conference, which took place in Berlin on 30-31 January 2020. This reader provides some insights into our major topics, from trade to climate to security policy, with perspectives from South Africa, India, Brazil, the US and the EU.

Is the delivery of human rights a consequential outcome of liberal democracy? This paper explores the role of human rights in democracy, and specifically whether human rights is a necessary ingredient for its sustenance.

Across 14 case studies from international and national civil society organisations, networks and movements from populist contexts around the world, the report highlights their innovativeness, effectiveness in countering different elements of populism, and responsiveness to the potential of digital media in the specific context.