Our work on the 2022 energy crisis

The 2022 European energy crisis was the most severe since the 1973 oil price shock. Its economic and political consequences will be felt for years. The Centre for Sustainability responded to the crisis with public events starting in January 2022, numerous explanatory texts and videos, policy advice in front of and behind the scenes, including as a member of the Gas Commission, and through media comments and research papers.

• Just days after Russia invaded Ukraine, researchers at the Centre for Sustainability coordinated an open letter: Energy policy and energy industry options for Germany and Europe in view of Russia's attack on Ukraine
• Professor Lion Hirth published a series of explanatory lectures and texts on energy market principles. These were viewed more than 10.000 times, including, anecdotally, by top German government officials.
• The German government appointed Professor Lion Hirth to the Expert Commission for Heating and Gas in September 2022. Following the publication of the Commission’s results in October 2022, Prof. Hirth discussed the recommendations in a webinar.
• In May 2023, a study by Centre for Sustainability researchers entitled “Natural gas savings in Germany during the 2022 energy crisis” was published in the prestigious journal Nature Energy. The paper was subsequently cited in a speech by Federal Minister for Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck and multiple media outlets, including Tagesschau, Deutschlandfunk, ZDF and more.
• The Centre for Sustainability created an Energy Crisis web page to share resources and information on the ongoing crisis.