This blog is dedicated to my research on sustainability & society. Here you can find my latest ideas and thoughts as well as publications and talks on sustainability science, the discourse on postgrowth & degrowth, ecological economics, corporate responsibility, systems theory and organizational change within the next society. I’m also increasingly writing about the new era of geopolitics and Europe’s role in it, with a special focus on sustainability topics reframed from a geopolitical perspective. Feedback is always welcome.
Green AI Beyond Bullsh*t
tl;dr: Green AI can only matter if it moves beyond hype—toward truth, transparency, and regeneration within planetary limits.
Over the past months, hardly a day has passed without headlines about artificial intelligence: new models, astonishing breakthroughs, and dire warnings. At conferences, in boardrooms, and in policy debates, AI has become a kind of secular promise—of productivity, control, even salvation. And increasingly, it comes wrapped in a green label. That convergence between sustainability and digital technology is fascinating, but also deeply ambivalent.… Read more
Electric Avenue: Systems, Sufficiency, and European Sovereignty
tl;dr: Europe’s agency hinges on becoming an Electrostate—electrified value chains, robust grids, high domestic electrification. Not more tech, but system design & sufficiency.
What an Electrostate Is
An Electrostate is not simply a country with many wind turbines and solar parks. It is a polity whose power rests on electrified value chains—from critical minerals and battery chemistry to power electronics, grids, software, and open standards—combined with high domestic electrification in mobility, heat, and industry.… Read more
Notes from AOM 2025
tl;dr: AOM 2025 brought planetary boundaries, postgrowth, and critique closer to the centre — but the structural tensions remain. Hopeful shifts, unfinished conversations.
2025 in Copenhagen marked my first in-person AOM since 2019 in Boston. I had joined the virtual meetings in 2020 and 2021, but skipped 2022 and 2023. Returning felt both familiar and strange — especially since this was the first AOM Annual Meeting ever held outside of North America. With around 13,000 participants, it was also the largest in the Academy’s history.… Read more
Sustainability, Security, and Strategic Autonomy
tl;dr: Sustainability is vital for Europe’s strategic autonomy, resilience, and geopolitical leadership, addressing climate change as a core security issue.
Climate change is no longer only an environmental issue—it is increasingly recognized as a central factor influencing international security. As global temperatures rise, competition over critical resources such as water, food, and land intensifies, leading to heightened risks of conflict and political instability. Natural disasters, exacerbated by climate change, have triggered mass migrations, creating social tensions that can threaten regional and global stability.… Read more
Europe in the Age of Great Power Politics
tl,dr: The world is shifting into Great Power Politics, with the U.S. retreating, Russia advancing, and China expanding its influence. Europe must step up or risk irrelevance.
Introduction: A New Global Order and the Challenge for Europe
The world is witnessing a profound geopolitical transformation. The unipolar moment that followed the Cold War—where the United States dictated global affairs with limited challenge—is giving way to a multipolar world, marked by shifting alliances and intensified great power competition.… Read more