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Abstract: Development trend of seasonal indoor temperature distribution introducing modern building standards – Are rebound effects unavoidable? This study describes the temperature and temperature variability trend accompanied with introducing modern building insulation standards in Germany, ranging from classical buildings before 1978 to EnEV‐2009 and passive house standards (PAH). Data sets comprise far about 10 million field measurements covering room temperatures and manual ventilation activities as well as an exemplary case study within six modern EnEV‐2009 buildings. We find winter indoor temperatures increased by 4 K, from initially 18 °C in buildings built prior to 1978 up to about 22 °C within passive houses and modern EnEV‐2009 standard, and, at the same time, room temperatures become more homogenous while the lower temperatures are almost vanishing. Furthermore, almost 10 % of the windows are kept open even during the mid‐winter heating season. We argue that modern buildings experience frequent, unexpected and unrequested inner energy gains and subsequently larger heat storing effects during the entire season, which lead to discomfort and a reflex to open windows. The ”bio‐feedback“ of residents changes: they may quickly feel a sense of ”overheating“, but practically never more experience freezing events. Additional research in interdisciplinary best practice labs, aiming at an enhanced understanding of individual feelings of thermal comfort and the development of adapted assisting systems, is recommended. This study emphasizes, that enforced application of building standards beyond EnEV‐2002 appears questionable, as long as physiological wellness in modern living environment does not harmonize with technical concepts of energy use optimization and should only be introduced on a voluntary basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will climate change be mitigated automatically by ongoing processes of urbanization as proposed by the “dense cities” hypothesis? Our answer is based on the German official income and expenditure survey (EVS) of 2013, which allow us to disaggregate total household expenditures into 44 consumer good categories (COICOP) and their respective GHG intensities. Results show that the density effect of cities saves some greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Germany, but singularisation of households, higher incomes and greater consumption opportunities in cities work in the opposite direction. Thus, smaller and larger municipalities are more or less on par with each other in terms of per capita emissions. Rural households are found to be more affected by environmental taxes which are imposed on direct rather than on indirect energy use in the course of German “Energiewende” policy reform. This is discussed in the article as a rural-urban social equity problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scenario workshop methodology was used to obtain various assessments of the prospects of multi-stress resistant plants. As biotechnological breakthroughs they are supposed to counter climate change and food shortages. In Europe, however, green biotechnology is highly controver- sial and positions have become rather entrenched. In our results, the scenario method showed itself to be highly suited to easing the grip of cognitive entrenchments and hierarchical commu- nication structures. At least within the arena of the workshop, technologies as well as participants are on equal footing and can be grouped into various arrangements. This exposes participants to novel perspectives and engages them in deliberations on alternative science policy options, thus taking existing problems and needs into account rather than adapting society to the solutions and requirements of the envisioned technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, the precautionary principle (PP) is a well-established legal principle in environmental law, especially for regulating agri-biotechnology. This article uses the analytical concept of issue-framing to identify different views of the PP and how they have informed changes in the German regulatory arena. In the 1990s Germany's genetically modified (GM) crop policy was dominated by a discourse of innovation and international competitiveness, combined with narrow accounts of precaution. In the early 2000s, agro-biotechnology became subject to changes in the risk regulatory system, new agricultural policies and a broader precautionary scope. After the BSE crisis, German pol-icy promoted sustainable agriculture and organic food, combined with the demand for a precautionary consumer policy and 'consumer choice'. Precaution now encompasses comprehensive mandatory labelling and liability rules to protect non-GM food production from GM 'contamination' in fields and across the food chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]