Aaron Best

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Aaron Best

Masters in Public Administration

Coordinator Data Analysis
Senior Fellow

Team
Topics

Aaron Best is a Senior Fellow and economist at Ecologic Institute who focuses on the interface of economic issues with environmental policy. An experienced project leader, he also coordinates Ecologic Institute's data-analysis team and has decades of experience in sustainability indicators, the analysis of large datasets as well as the visual communication of complex concepts.

His project portfolio includes climate policy, sustainable development indicators, circular economy, impact assessments, policy evaluations, cost-benefit analysis, and economic analyses of environmental policies. He leads the team at Ecologic Institute that supports Eurostat's annual monitoring of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2017-2019, he led the data analysis and visualization work for a comprehensive review of environmental governance in EU Member States.

In addition to his research and writing, he is co-host of the podcast series "Green Deal – Big Deal?", which examines the many facets of the European Green Deal. Aaron Best headed the Horizon 2020 project "Measuring the IMPACTS of the Transition to the CIRCULAR Economy" (CIRCULAR IMPACTS), which further developed the evidence base on the EU transition to a more circular economy. He recently led two projects supporting the EU monitoring of air pollution impacts on European ecosystems. He led the project team organizing the high-level conference "Measuring Progress, True Wealth, and the Well-being of Nations" (Beyond GDP). He has managed reviews of several sustainability indicators, including bioeconomy monitoring in Germany and has contributed to several climate-related projects for both EU and German institutions. Aaron Best was previously manager of the Transatlantic Program, overseeing several of Ecologic Institute's transatlantic initiatives.

From 2006 to 2010, Aaron Best worked as a Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute. From 2010 to 2016, during his time away from the institute, he was Deputy Director at Climate-KIC, a major EU initiative to support climate-related innovation by start-ups, firms and academic institutions across Europe. During this time, he remained connected to the institute as a Senior Associate. Since 2017, he is engaged full time at Ecologic Institute.

Prior to his work at Ecologic Institute, Aaron Best worked as a research economist at ECONorthwest, a leading economic consultancy in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He also gained significant business experience as a business development manager and program manager for Amazon.com in both the United States and England. In 2005/6 Aaron Best spent 10 months living and working in Germany as a Robert Bosch Fellow. The Robert Bosch Fellowship is an intensive program that provides future American leaders with a detailed look at the present-day institutions, politics and cultures of Germany and the European Union.

 

Aaron Best holds a Master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Washington in Seattle, USA and a Bachelor's degree (economics and environmental policy) from The Evergreen State College, an interdisciplinary liberal arts school near Seattle.

Aaron Best is an American citizen, speaks fluent German and has a good knowledge of Spanish. As a creative project, he pursues fine-art photography: http://aaronbestphotographs.com.

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Recent content by Aaron Best

Event:Digital Event
 
Utility-scale solar photovoltaics and onshore wind are now the cheapest sources of new power in most countries, and according to a 2022 report by the International Energy Agency, renewables will account for over 90% of global electricity expansion over the next five years. To support the rapid change to renewables, dramatic changes in energy infrastructure such as grids are also needed.

Europe's Energy Transition – Rolling out renewables and infrastructure


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Publication:Podcast
 
The latest "Green Deal – Big Deal?" podcast episode, hosted by Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best of Ecologic Institute, features interview guests Professor Johan Lilliestam of the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) and Dr. Andrzej Ancygier of Climate Analytics. During the discussion, they shed light on the past, present and future of renewables in the EU, describing the major market shifts, policy events and technological developments that have made renewable energy one of the most exciting facets of achieving sustainability in Europe.

Europe's Race to Renewables – cheaper, vaster, faster

Eleventh episode of the podcast "Green Deal – Big Deal?"

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Publication:Podcast
 
The 3rd episode of the 4i-TRACTION podcast series uncovers the essential role of infrastructure in climate policy by examining the EU's role in rolling out the infrastructure for a resilient climate-neutral economy. The hosts, together with infrastructure and energy experts Bettina Kampman (CE Delft) and Katharina Umpfenbach (DENA, the German Energy Agency), discuss how recent EU policies are proving to be a good driver to speed up the energy transition and how more attention to infrastructure as a separate topic is needed.

The EU's Climate Neutrality Challenge: Can Infrastructure be the Game Changer?

Third episode of the podcast "CLIMATE ON AIR – Discussing the future of EU climate policy"

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Publication:Case Study
 
Cover of the country briefing paper Germany "Who took the burden of the energy crisis?
Households across Germany felt the weight of 2022's energy crisis, grappling with a dramatic increase in energy prices. Overall energy costs in Germany surged by 31% in 2022 compared to the previous year. To combat the adverse impacts of the 2022 energy crisis, Germany passed three major relief packages in 2022. This country briefing paper describes Germany’s policy response to the energy crisis of 2022 and provides a microsimulation-based summary of the distributional effects of energy price shocks on German households.

Who Took the Burden of the Energy Crisis?

Country briefing paper: Germany

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Event:Digital Event
 
Nature Restoarion Law
On 28 June 2023, participants joined webinar hosts Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best from Ecologic Institute and their two expert guests: Humberto Delgado Rosa (Director for Biodiversity at the European Commission) and Sabien Leemans (Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer for WWF). Together, they discussed what can be done to restore ecosystems and protect biodiversity in the EU, as well as the new Nature Restoration Law proposed by the European Commission.

Nature Restoration Law: Restoring Europe's ecosystems and protecting biodiversity


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Publication:Podcast
 
The 2nd episode of the 4i-TRACTION podcast uncovers the pivotal role of innovation in European climate policy. The hosts, together with climate experts Brendan Moore (Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy of the Brussels School of Governance) and Harm Rienks (Wageningen University and Research), discuss the concrete instruments which the EU uses to promote innovation.

What is the Role of Innovation in Making the EU Climate Neutral?

Second episode of the podcast "CLIMATE ON AIR – Discussing the future of EU climate policy"

Year

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Publication:Book
 
Cover of "Sustainable development in the European Union Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context 2023 edition"
The 2023 publication is Eurostat's seventh regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). The publication is available for download.

Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2023

Monitoring Report on Progress Towards the SDGs in an EU Context

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Publication:Book
 
Cover of "Sustainable development in the European Union. Statistical annex to the EU voluntary review. 2023 edition"
The 2023 edition of the EU SDG indicator set consists of 100 indicators structured along the 17 SDGs and covering the social, economic, environmental and institutional dimensions of sustainability as represented by the 2030 Agenda. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). The publication is available for download.

Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2023 Statistical annex

Statistical annex to the EU voluntary review

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Event:Digital Event
 
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On 1 February 2023, we discussed the food systems approach adopted by the "Farm to fork" strategy and investigated how the strategy will impact producers, consumers and global food markets. We discussed strategies to address food waste and explored why meat is a politically sensitive topic.

Farm to Fork: Feeding a continent without wrecking a planet


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