Germany is to become climate-neutral by 2050. Achieving the climate targets will require extensive changes that will have an impact on large parts of the economy and social life. Concrete climate measures in energy generation, transport, industry and other sectors are necessary.

The Ariadne project shows ways in which the climate goals can be achieved. The focus is on research for energy transition strategies, their systemic effects, and which sectoral interactions arise as a result. The project investigates policy instruments to help achieve climate goals in an efficient and socially balanced way. With the help of evidence-based assessments, the scientific basis for shaping the energy transition is to be expanded and any learning processes in politics and science are to be triggered.

The project actively involves representatives from politics, business and the general public from the very beginning. In this way, the effectiveness of various policy instruments can be better understood and socially sustainable strategies can be developed. For this purpose, the Ariadne project is based on a Green Paper/White Paper process. While the Green Paper process focuses on decision-making options for the implementation of the energy transition, the subsequent White Paper process takes these options and processes them into concrete instruments and recommended measures. Findings and results of the project will be made available in the form of policy briefs, issue briefs, background papers, visualizations, and interactive platforms throughout the lifetime of the project.

Alongside ENSURE, P2X and SynErgie, Ariadne is the fourth Copernicus project. Together, they form one of the largest research initiatives on the topic of energy transition. A total of 26 research partners are in the project consortium. Ecologic Institute works in particular on the topics "Europe & Green Deal" and "European Integration of the German Energy Transition".