Climate Action Needs Logistics
KLU and Kuehne Climate Center (KCC) sign MOU for long-term cooperation
Turning research into action: KLU and KCC recently signed a MOU to foster a hands-on approach to sustainability. The agreement was signed on 2 July by Prof. Dr. Andreas Kaplan (President of KLU), Dr. Immo Schmidt-Jortzig (Executive Director of Administration, KLU), and Dr. Joerg Wiese (CEO, Kuehne Climate Center). It includes, among other activities, collaboration on joint research projects.
“Climate action needs more than vision – it needs logistics. This collaboration is about leveraging logistics as a driver for climate action by building the structures and tools that make climate solutions work at scale”, says Dr. Joerg Wiese.
Turning research into action
This collaboration stands for a hands-on approach to sustainability. Rather than discussing abstract solutions, KLU and the KCC are co-developing research that aims to deliver actionable insights – research designed to inform actual infrastructure, technologies and policy. Each project will address a tangible piece of the climate challenge, helping logistics become an enabler of meaningful change. Potential topics include climate-compatible supply chains, resilient logistics systems, and the logistics of energy transition.
First project starts in September
The first joint Ph.D. project has already been defined and is scheduled to begin in September 2025. Under the title “Operations Research for Logistics in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)”, the project will investigate how logistics systems can support the practical implementation of carbon removal technologies.
It focuses on real-world challenges such as:
- identifying cost- and time-efficient locations for CDR pilot infrastructure
- reducing emissions in global supply chains connected to CDR
- developing data-driven decision models for effective and collaborative logistics strategies
“This project brings quantitative research into action! It’s about using and extending state-of-the-art models to solve complex logistics problems.”, says Prof. Dr. Arne Heinold (Assistant Professor of Transportation, KLU), who is co-leading the project with Dr. Ingrid Schulte (Senior Expert, KCC). She says, “This work will fill a crucial knowledge gap in the field of CDR. We need to design logistics systems for CDR in parallel to developing the technologies so that logistics do not become a bottleneck to deployment.”
About the Kuehne Climate Center
Established in 2024, the Kuehne Climate Center focuses on developing and implementing logistics-oriented solutions that cut emissions, remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, and strengthen climate resilience, contributing to a just and low-carbon society. KCC efforts are particularly directed toward low- and middle-income countries.
