Climate protection is a leading theme for all policy areas and environmental policies require a broad scientific background. As independent organizations, think tanks link research to policy and provide options and solutions to improve policies which are actually actionable. This Spotlight Interview examines the role of think tanks for policy making and sustainable development. “As think tanks are not enclosed to election cycles or votes, they have the freedom to look more broadly on issues in the society and identify the topics of tomorrow”, Camilla Bausch says. Working in much longer time spans than politicians, think tanks develop solutions which are sustainable in the long term.