From 27 to 31 October 2012, Ecologic Institute organized and implemented a program for Korean journalists and representatives from the Korean Ministry of Environment. The program focused on German and European approaches on energy and climate change policy as well as on emissions trading systems (ETS).
The program took place as a follow up to a German Embassy sponsored conference on...Read more
The Ecologic Institute invited Prof. Lorenzo Fioramonti from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, to introduce his new book "Gross Domestic Problem". This book about the "world’s most powerful number" (GDP) argues that the political interests behind GDP are an important reason why it has remained dominant as a welfare indicator.
Professor Fioramonti gave a brief presentation of his book, and...Read more
Caste-based discrimination is a serious human rights violation negatively affecting the political, economic, social, cultural, and civil rights of approximately 260 million people worldwide. This briefing by Susanne Langsdorf (Ecologic Institute) for the European Parliament aims to assess to what extent the EU has integrated the fight against caste-based discrimination in its external relations. Light is shed on the specific situations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Yemen and the European Union's actions to address caste-based discrimination in these countries. Based on the...Read more
In this study, Ecologic Institute researchers Timo Kaphengst and Lucy Smith summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the increasing share of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in developing countries. The accrued benefits and/or disadvantages vary widely across the reviewed countries and depend on the governance structures of each country. On the one hand, GM crops can increase export revenues; on the other hand, developing countries' resulting dependency on Western biotechnology companies could grow and threaten local farmers, especially smaller ones. Moreover, GMOs are...Read more
This visitor programme on climate and renewable energy took place in Berlin, Magdeburg and Hamburg in cooperation with the German Foreign Office. The programme, designed and organised by Ecologic Institute, was aimed at Latin American political decision-makers from the national, regional and community levels as well as interested journalists. Key to the programme were discussions with experts from the German...Read more
The Mediterranean, Middle East, and Sahel regions form a climate change "hot spot" that is expected to experience large climatic changes, with negative consequences for human security in the region. A new report by Ecologic Institute provides insights and recommendations on the policies and institutions needed to address water-related risks to human security and also prevent or reduce potential conflicts over water that may be caused or exacerbated by climate change. Effective climate change adaptation approaches are identified, and recommendations are given for policy makers at the EU and...Read more
There is ample evidence that climate change may threaten human security. An obvious conclusion would be to use human security as a way of framing climate adaptation policy-making. However, as a new paper shows, this is seldom done. A paper, presented by Katriona McGlade at the Third International Conference on Global Environmental Change and Human Security in Marrakesh, discusses if and how the concept of human security is being used in climate adaptation policies and whether the concept is relevant or useful in this context.
Climate change will have severe impacts on countries,Read more
In June of 2012, 20 years after the first UN Summit on sustainable development, the Rio +20 Conference took place in Rio de Janeiro. The conference agreed on the notion of a Green Economy and the concept of Sustainable Development Goals, however did not decide on their content. Instead, follow-up processes were initiated that are supposed to fill these general concepts with life. Ecologic Institute supports both processes as part of a project for the German Federal Environment Agency (Umwelbundesamt) and the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMURead more
Fifteen participants from different parts of Mexico who are spending a year in Germany with support from the "International Leadership Training (ILT)" programme in order to learn conceptual, holistic and anticipatory thought for sustainable business development, took part in the course, carried out at the International Education Center (IBZ) in Mannheim from 7 to 9 December 2012. Michael Mehling, President of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, delivered the course contents, drawing on training material developed previously for a project commissioned by the Academy ofRead more
The final policy brief of the European Union research project "Climate Change, Hydro-conflicts and Human Security" (CLICO) presents the results of three years of research in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Sahel (MMES). It also gives policy recommendations. The policy brief is available for download.
CLICO research supports existing insights that climate change and water-related stresses produce an impact on human security in combination with a range of social, economic and political factors. For example, several CLICO case studies on Niger, Turkey and Ethiopia confirm...Read more
