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The SDGs and land use conflicts - The example of renewable energies


The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stand for economic progress and social justice within the boundaries of ecological limits. The example of renewable energies shows that this can lead to land use conflicts: e.g. Biodiversity and wildlife conservation issues, changing landscape sceneries and minimum distances to other uses such as housing need to be taken into account.

On 5 June, Alexander Bonde of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Foundation for the Environment) presented the grant agreemen for funding the development of an implementation concept for an educational game, which simulates such conflicts. Together with the UNESCO Chair for Earth Observation and Geocommunication at the Heidelberg University of Education and the Siegmund Space & Education gGmbH, the IfLS will develop a concept for a learning application as part of the "SDG:LaNuKon" project. The aim is to increas the awareness of young people, pupils and students for sustainable regional development and to help them understand land use conflicts and planning processes.

Whether alone or in a virtual classroom, the tool will simulate the expansion of renewable energies and show ecological consequences such as the large-scale cultivation of biomass, the addition of wind turbines, etc., as well as economic potential and greenhouse gas emissions.

The SDG:LaNuKon project, funded by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment, is coordinated by the Heidelberg University of Education. The task of the IfLS will be to provide regional data on a model region for the simulation concept that has yet to be selected.

Contact persons at IfLS:

Dr. Ulrich Gehrlein (gehrlein[at]ifls.de) and Christoph Mathias (mathias[at]ifls.de)