Description: Real-world labs are witnessing continued growth and institutionalization in the field of transformation-oriented sustainability research, as well as in adjacent disciplines. With their experimental research agendas, these labs aim at sustainability transformations, however, there is still a need to improve the understanding of their impacts. Drawing from this Special Issue's contributions, we offer a broad overview of the impacts achieved by various real-world labs, highlight the diverse areas and forms of impact, and elucidate strategies as well as mechanisms for achieving impact. We present methodological advances, and address common challenges along with potential solutions for understanding and realizing impact.

Description: To limit global warming, the use of carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) is considered to be of major importance. In addition to the technical-economic, ecological and political aspects, the question of social acceptance is a decisive factor for the implementation of such low-carbon technologies. This study is the first literature review addressing the acceptance of industrial CCS (iCCS). In contrast to electricity generation, the technical options for large-scale reduction of CO2 emissions in the energy-intensive industry sector are not sufficient to achieve the targeted GHG neutrality in the industrial sector without the use of CCS. Therefore, it will be crucial to determine which factors influence the acceptance of iCCS and how these findings can be used for policy and industry decision-making processes. The results show that there has been limited research on the acceptance of iCCS. In addition, the study highlights some important differences between the acceptance of iCCS and CCS. Due to the technical diversity of future iCCS applications, future acceptance research must be able to better address the complexity of the research subject.

Description: This Wuppertal Paper analyses the energy transition models of Colombia and Germany. The emphasis of the exercise is on an analysis of options for the complete decarbonization of the energy system in Colombia as a Global South country. To this end, it analyses the current situation, projections, public policy and narratives, and contrasts it with Germany as one of the countries of the Global North with which Colombia has historically maintained energy trade relations and is currently collaborating in the exploration of energy alternatives for decarbonization. Detailed analysis of sectoral energy consumption in Colombia shows the sectors with the highest fossil energy consumption (in this order): transport (fuels), industry (gas, coal), electricity generation (gas, coal) and residential (gas). We show the projected increase in demand for fuels and electricity, and calculate the amount of electricity theoretically needed to substitute fossil sources in each sector. We estimate the total electricity required for decarbonization via sector coupling and derive a first estimation of the range of additional renewable energy capacities needed to supply this demand. We find that required capacities are expectedly large (56-110 GW), depending on decarbonization pathways, and that export capacity beyond national demand may be limited. Our analysis of the policy and scenario arena in both countries finds that Colombia is still lacking both sector-specific decarbonization strategies and an embedding in a systemic vision of a systemic energy transition. Germany has more advanced sector strategies and (national) systemic visions, but lacks embedding assumptions on energy imports in a global-system analysis, i.e. in the analysis of an energy transition in potential exporting countries like Colombia. We formulate requirements to close these gaps in our conclusions.

Description: The Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) is a pan-European Research \nInfrastructure (RI) initiative. DiSSCo aims to bring together natural science collections from \n175 museums, botanical gardens, universities and research institutes across 23 countries \nin a distributed infrastructure that makes these collections physically and digitally open and \naccessible for all forms of research and innovation. DiSSCo RI entered the ESFRI \nroadmap in 2018 and successfully concluded its Preparatory Phase in early 2023. The RI \nis now transitioning towards the constitution of its legal entity (an ERIC) and the start of its \nscaled-up construction (implementation) programme. This publication is an abridged \nversion of the successful grant proposal for the DiSSCo Transition Project which has the \ngoal of ensuring the seamless transition of the DiSSCo RI from its Preparatory Phase to \nthe Construction Phase (expected to start in 2025). In this transition period, the Project will \naddress five objectives building on the outcomes of the Preparatory Phase project: \n1) Advance the DiSSCo ERIC process and complete its policy framework, ensuring the \nsmooth early-phase Implementation of DISSCo; \n2) Engage & support DiSSCo National Nodes to strengthen national commitments; \n3) Advance the development of core e-services to avoid the accumulation of technical debt \nbefore the start of the Implementation Phase; \n4) Continue international collaboration on standards & best practices needed for the \nDiSSCo service provision; and \n5) Continue supporting DiSSCo RI interim governance bodies and transition them to the \nDiSSCo ERIC formal governance. \nThe Project\xe2\x80\x99s impact will be measured against the increase in the RI\'s overall \nImplementation Readiness Level (IRL). More specifically, we will monitor its impact towards \nreaching the required level of maturity in four of the five dimensions of the IRL that can \nbenefit from further developments. These include the organisational, financial, \ntechnological and data readiness levels.

Description: DiSSCo, the Distributed System of Scientific Collections, is a pan-European Research \nInfrastructure (RI) mobilising, unifying bio- and geo-diversity information connected to the \nspecimens held in natural science collections and delivering it to scientific communities and \nbeyond. Bringing together 120 institutions across 21 countries and combining earlier \ninvestments in data interoperability practices with technological advancements in \ndigitisation, cloud services and semantic linking, DiSSCo makes the data from natural \nscience collections available as one virtual data cloud, connected with data emerging from \nnew techniques and not already linked to specimens. These new data include DNA \nbarcodes, whole genome sequences, proteomics and metabolomics data, chemical data, \ntrait data, and imaging data (Computer-assisted Tomography (CT), Synchrotron, etc.), to name but a few; and will lead to a wide range of end-user services that begins with finding, \naccessing, using and improving data. DiSSCo will deliver the diagnostic information \nrequired for novel approaches and new services that will transform the landscape of what \nis possible in ways that are hard to imagine today. \nWith approximately 1.5 billion objects to be digitised, bringing natural science collections to \nthe information age is expected to result in many tens of petabytes of new data over the \nnext decades, used on average by 5,000 \xe2\x80\x93 15,000 unique users every day. This requires \nnew skills, clear policies and robust procedures and new technologies to create, work with \nand manage large digital datasets over their entire research data lifecycle, including their \nlong-term storage and preservation and open access. Such processes and procedures \nmust match and be derived from the latest thinking in open science and data management, \nrealising the core principles of \'findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable\' (FAIR). \nSynthesised from results of the ICEDIG project ("Innovation and Consolidation for Large \nScale Digitisation of Natural Heritage", EU Horizon 2020 grant agreement No. 777483) the \nDiSSCo Conceptual Design Blueprint covers the organisational arrangements, processes \nand practices, the architecture, tools and technologies, culture, skills and capacity building \nand governance and business model proposals for constructing the digitisation \ninfrastructure of DiSSCo. In this context, the digitisation infrastructure of DiSSCo must be \ninterpreted as that infrastructure (machinery, processing, procedures, personnel, \norganisation) offering Europe-wide capabilities for mass digitisation and digitisation-ondemand, \nand for the subsequent management (i.e., curation, publication, processing) and \nuse of the resulting data. The blueprint constitutes the essential background needed to \ncontinue work to raise the overall maturity of the DiSSCo Programme across multiple \ndimensions (organisational, technical, scientific, data, financial) to achieve readiness to \nbegin construction. \nToday, collection digitisation efforts have reached most collection-holding institutions \nacross Europe. Much of the leadership and many of the people involved in digitisation and \nworking with digital collections wish to take steps forward and expand the efforts to benefit \nfurther from the already noticeable positive effects. The collective results of examining \ntechnical, financial, policy and governance aspects show the way forward to operating a \nlarge distributed initiative i.e., the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) for \nnatural science collections across Europe. Ample examples, opportunities and need for \ninnovation and consolidation for large scale digitisation of natural heritage have been \ndescribed. The blueprint makes one hundred and four (104) recommendations to be \nconsidered by other elements of the DiSSCo Programme of linked projects (i.e., \nSYNTHESYS+, COST MOBILISE, DiSSCo Prepare, and others to follow) and the DiSSCo \nProgramme leadership as the journey towards organisational, technical, scientific, data and \nfinancial readiness continues. \nNevertheless, significant obstacles must be overcome as a matter of priority if DiSSCo is to \nmove beyond its Design and Preparatory Phases during 2024. Specifically, these include: \nOrganisational: \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Strengthen common purpose by adopting a common framework for policy \nharmonisation and capacity enhancement across broad areas, especially in respect \nof digitisation strategy and prioritisation, digitisation processes and techniques, data \nand digital media publication and open access, protection of and access to \nsensitive data, and administration of access and benefit sharing. \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Pursue the joint ventures and other relationships necessary to the successful \ndelivery of the DiSSCo mission, especially ventures with GBIF and other \ninternational and regional digitisation and data aggregation organisations, in the \ncontext of infrastructure policy frameworks, such as EOSC. Proceed with the \nexplicit aim of avoiding divergences of approach in global natural science \ncollections data management and research. \nTechnical: \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Adopt and enhance the DiSSCo Digital Specimen Architecture and, specifically as \na matter of urgency, establish the persistent identifier scheme to be used by \nDiSSCo and (ideally) other comparable regional initiatives. \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Establish (software) engineering development and (infrastructure) operations team \nand direction essential to the delivery of services and functionalities expected from \nDiSSCo such that earnest engineering can lead to an early start of DiSSCo \noperations. \nScientific: \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Establish a common digital research agenda leveraging Digital (extended) \nSpecimens as anchoring points for all specimen-associated and -derived \ninformation, demonstrating to research institutions and policy/decision-makers the \nnew possibilities, opportunities and value of participating in the DiSSCo research \ninfrastructure. \nData: \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Adopt the FAIR Digital Object Framework and the International Image \nInteroperability Framework as the low entropy means to achieving uniform access \nto rich data (image and non-image) that is findable, accessible, interoperable and \nreusable (FAIR). \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Develop and promote best practice approaches towards achieving the best \ndigitisation results in terms of quality (best, according to agreed minimum \ninformation and other specifications), time (highest throughput, fast), and cost \n(lowest, minimal per specimen). \nFinancial \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Broaden attractiveness (i.e., improve bankability) of DiSSCo as an infrastructure to \ninvest in. \n\xe2\x80\xa2 Plan for finding ways to bridge the funding gap to avoid disruptions in the critical \nfunding path that risks interrupting core operations; especially when the gap opens \nbetween the end of preparations and beginning of implementation due to unsolved \npolitical difficulties. \nStrategically, it is vital to balance the multiple factors addressed by the blueprint against \none another to achieve the desired goals of the DiSSCo programme. Decisions cannot be \ntaken on one aspect alone without considering other aspects, and here the various \ngovernance structures of DiSSCo (General Assembly, advisory boards, and stakeholder \nforums) play a critical role over the coming years.

Description: Agriculture is a major sector responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. Local food production can contribute to reducing transport-related emissions. Since most of the worldwide population lives in cities, locally producing food implies practicing agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas. Exemplary, we analyze the potential to produce fresh vegetables within Berlin, Germany. We investigate the spatial extent of five different urban spaces for soil-based agriculture or gardening, i.e., non-built residential areas, allotment gardens, rooftops, supermarket parking lots, and cemeteries. We also quantify inputs required for such food production in terms of water, human resources, and investment. Our findings highlight that up to 82% of Berlin’s vegetable demand could be produced within the city, based on a reasonable validation of existing areas. Meeting this potential requires 42 km2 of urban spaces for cultivation, a considerable amount of irrigation water, around 17 thousand gardeners, and over 750 million EUR of initial investments. The final vegetable cost would be around 2 EUR to 10 EUR per kg without any profit margin. We conclude that it is realistic to produce a significant amount of Berlin's vegetable demand within the city, even if it comes with great challenges.

Description: In Germany, there are over 32,000 schools, representing great potential for climate protection. On the one hand, this applies to educational work, as understanding the effects of climate change and measures to reduce GHG emissions is an important step to empower students with knowledge and skills. On the other hand, school buildings are often in bad condition, energy is wasted, and the possibilities for using renewable energies are hardly used. In our "Schools4Future" project, we enabled students and teachers to draw up their own CO2 balances, identify weaknesses in the building, detect wasted electricity, and determine the potential for using renewable energies. Emissions from the school cafeteria, school trips, and paper consumption could also be identified. The fact that the data can be collected by the students themselves provides increased awareness of the contribution made to the climate balance by the various school areas. The most climate-friendly school emits 297 kg whilst the school with the highest emissions emits over one ton CO2 per student and year. Our approach is suitable to qualify students in the sense of citizen science, carry out a scientific investigation, experience self-efficacy through one's own actions, and engage politically regarding their concerns.

Description: The international architecture competition Solar Decathlon Europe was held in Wuppertal in 2022 and focused on sustainable building and living in the city. The student teams participating in the competition developed buildings that would enable climate-friendly living and be tailored to the "Mirke" district in Wuppertal and the individual needs of the residents in this neighborhood. Not only the neighborhood was the focus of the competition, but also the residents of the Mirke district were involved in the project through a neighborhood panel. As part of the Mirke neighborhood panel, three survey waves were conducted between May 2021 and August 2022. The results and insights gained from the neighborhood panel were incorporated into the project and shared with the architectural teams participating in the competition. In addition, the results were shared and discussed with the urban development department of the city of Wuppertal, local initiatives, and other partners in the neighborhood.

Description: To date, the circular economy has fallen short of its promise to reduce our resource demand and transform our production and consumption system. One key problem is the lack of understanding that highly promising strategies such as refuse, rethink, and reduce can be properly addressed using research on sufficiency. This article argues that a shift in focus is required in research and policy development from consumers who buy and handle circularly designed products to consumption patterns that follow the logic of sufficiency and explain how sufficiency-oriented concepts can be incorporated into existing social practices. The authors show that sufficiency is not necessarily as radical and unattractive as is often claimed, making it a suitable yet underrated strategy for sustainability and the transition to an effective circular economy. The case of urban gardening shows that small interventions can have far-reaching effects and transform consumption patterns as the logic of availability is contested by newly developed concepts of "enoughness" and opposition to "über-availability." The authors propose utilizing comprehensive state-of-the-art theories of consumption and human action when developing strategies and policies to make the circular economy sustainable while being more critical of utilitarian approaches. Using social practice theories that have proven to be beneficial allows human actions to be comprehensively analyzed by recognizing their embeddedness in social and material frameworks; addressing the meaning, competences, and materials of routinized human behavior; and examining indirect effects.