Many citizen science projects are in the thematic area of species observation and natural environment monitoring but, in recent years, projects in other areas and disciplines have increasingly been using citizen science approaches. It is assumed that citizen science could potentially contribute to an increase in environmental awareness and to advancing knowledge about environmental change and sustainability issues. In this article, we present a review of 127 citizen science projects listed on the German platform, “Bürger schaffen Wissen”, with the aim of analysing whether the main focus of most projects is on the scientific results or on educational aspects and how citizen science projects are connected to the SDGs. The results show that many citizen science projects overlap with SDG 4 Quality Education. Of these projects, a larger proportion entail higher levels of involvement than those projects with a stronger focus on the scientific results, in which the participation of the citizen scientists is mainly standardised and at low levels. An even greater number of projects in the sample are linked to SDG 15 Life on Land and, thereby, are in line with the traditional focus of citizen science. Additionally, the analysis reveals that forms of education used in citizen science projects are much more diverse than those included in SDG 4.

Conventional welfare production is unsustainable. A societal emphasis on (green) economic growth may therefore be superseded by an extended concept of well-being. Taking a transformative approach, science may take part in catalysing this challenging transformation of both the understanding and the level of well-being. Instead of economic growth at the expense of sustainability, we aim to cooperatively refocus on integrating economic, social and ecological perspectives into a more holistic, sustainable approach to individual and municipal well-being in Wuppertal (Germany). Therefore, the research team investigates and develops concepts of local sustainable well-being production, e.g., by employing a new indicator system and the real-world laboratory approach. What are the conditions and constraints of transforming well-being in Wuppertal and most particularly of the role of scientists in this endeavour? Answering this research question with a comparative case study approach, we have analysed our resources, processes, contexts and normativity. The results show that the role of ‘transformative scientists’ in Wuppertal faces constraints of timing and funding, as well as challenges from the different demands of science and practice. Hampered co-design interacts with role conflicts. Open-minded stakeholders are crucial for local well-being transformation, as is the awareness that urban residential districts have bottomed out. However, the normative sustainability claims of the transformative research project are not fully shared by all of its stakeholders, which is both necessary and challenging for transformative research.

In August 2024, the Nature Restoration Regulation came into force in the European Union (EU). This landmark legislation on ecosystem restoration may significantly improve the state of European's biodiversity and could profoundly contribute to implementing the Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. To realize this potential, the EU Member States need to underpin the objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation with effective measures. Here, we highlight five factors for the success of national nature restoration policies: increased acceptance of nature restoration and landscape change; agreed quantitative and qualified national restoration targets; improved coordination of nature restoration with other land uses; supportive organizational and legal framework conditions; and increased attractiveness of nature restoration to land users and land owners. Drawing on recommendations developed for the German context by three national policy advisory bodies, we suggest that these factors also hold relevance for advancing nature restoration policies in other EU Member States.

Meat consumption causes major damage to the environment, such as the pollution of air, water, and soil, and contributes significantly to biodiversity loss and climate change. To reach environmental and climate targets, agricultural production methods need to be addressed politically. However, dietary behavior also needs to change. This is especially the case in Western countries with unsustainably high meat consumption, such as Germany. Based on a systematic analysis of the literature of different disciplines, the article examines the following: (a) Factors influencing food behavior; (b) Policy instruments effectively contributing to behavior change; (c) Potential problems with regard to their political feasibility. Using Germany as an example, the analysis shows that only a combination of measures is promising to achieve a reduction in meat consumption—both in terms of effectiveness as well as political feasibility. Instruments need to change contextual conditions in a way that makes sustainable nutritional choices the easier ones. In the longer term, education programs and campaigns can help to change basic influencing factors such as norms or values. And, in the short term, these factors can be activated and become relevant for action in the respective decision-making situations.

The United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight the importance of cities for sustainable development globally. With SDG 11 a specific urban goal exists and also many of the other SDGs have strong ties to urban areas. However, implementing the SDGs on an urban level is not a straightforward process. This article wants to shed light in the relationship between cities and SDGs and builds up on existing literature, the practical experiences of the authors in SDG implementation as well as the work carried out by the DKN Future Earth working group on Urban Sustainability transformations. The article consists of two main parts: Firstly, we explain some challenges concerning SDG implementation in German Cities such as indicators and data availability, tradeoffs, the role and limits of urban planning and the difficulties of city-wide integration of sustainability policies. Secondly, we present potential solutions to overcoming these challenges. Prioritizing so-called impact chains, developing SDG implementation governance mechanisms and transparent negotiation processes as well as a new definition of system borders can facilitate SDG implementation. The aim of this article is also to discuss similarities and differences between the SDGs and alternative approaches such as the Local Agenda 21 and to evaluate if and how global sustainability agendas such as the SDGs can actually lead to a more sustainable development locally. In the conclusion, we acknowledge the potential of the SDGs for sustainable urban development but emphasize, that many obstacles need to be overcome on this way.