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Ascha, Germany: A Small Village with a Big Vision

In a blog post on the US State Department's "Our Planet" blog, Dominic Marcellino, Fellow at Ecologic Institute US, relates the story of how the village of Ascha in Bavaria went from being completely energy dependent to producing over 100% of its electricity and 50% of its heating needs from renewable energy.

The first I-CITE study tour on the transformation of the rural energy economy and opportunities for renewable energy visited the village of Ascha, Germany. Over twenty years ago, the mayor of Ascha, Wolfgang Zirngibl, shared a...Read more

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Sustainable Resource Use

Mobility

Water

Zwei Schritte vor, einer zurück

Der Rebound-Effekt schränkt die Wirkung von Effizienzprogrammen ein

An European study shows that the rebound effect repeal energy and resource savings between 10 and 30 percent. Therefore, the adverse effect should already taken into account when designing policy instruments to improve efficiency. If the measures are combined skillfully, the rebound effect can be decreased. The results of the project conducted by BIO Intelligence Service, GVSS, and Ecologic Institute are summarized in the journal articel. The article is available for download.Read more

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Article

Energy

Helios to the Rescue

Why Solar Energy is the Key to Reanimating the Greek Economy

"Helios to the Rescue" – This is what Sascha Müller-Kraenner and Martin Kremer recommend to the economically weak Greeks in their "Internationale Politik" online article of the same title. What makes Greece so especially capable of producing renewable energy and what is preventing progress in this direction? Müller-Kraenner, Advisor of Ecologic Institute, and Kremer, Senior Fellow at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, analyze these issues and caution against passing up timely opportunities for investment and growth.Read more

Publication

Perspective: The European Union

International Perspectives in the Run-Up to the UN Climate Change Conference 2011 in Durban

This article provides a stock-take of the state of the European Union's (EU) position heading into the climate change negotiations in Durban in late 2011. A long-time champion of an effective global system under the auspices of the UN, the EU finds itself in a difficult position as the future of the Kyoto Protocol is seen to being a stake at the summit in South Africa. With a number of other industrialised countries jumping ship and declaring their unwillingness to continue the Protocol in a Second Commitment Period, the EU is feeling ever more exposed and under pressure to declare for the continuation of Kyoto.Read more

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Article

Adaptation

Climate

International Development

Global Environment

Ecologic Legal

Technologietransfer: politische Kontroversen, Erfolge und Umsetzungsschwierigkeiten

Technology transfer is an important part of ongoing efforts at climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a central issue in negotiations between developed and developing countries. In a German publication for the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Christiane Gerstetter summarises the state of the debate prior to the Durban climate summit.Read more

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How Germany Became Europe's Green Leader: A Look at Four Decades of Sustainable Policymaking

Over the last 40 years, Germany has retooled policies to promote more environmentally sustainable growth. Michael Mehling contributed to an article focusing on four case studies from Germany in the areas of energy, urban infrastructure, and transportation. The article identifies potential opportunities for policy transfer from Germany to the United States as well as barriers that may hinder such transfer.Read more

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Article

Energy

Policy Assessment

U.S. Should Emulate Germany's Renewable Energy Model

Climate change, the finiteness of fossil fuels, national security, and job creation: there are many reasons to invest in renewable energy. In this article in the New York Times, Christoph H. Stefes, Senior Associate at Ecologic Institut, explains that investments in renewable energy are lacking due to the absence of a stable investment environment. The article is available online.Read more

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Article

Energy

Erklären, ausbauen, forschen

Wie aus einer deutschen eine europäische Energiewende werden kann

This article published in Internationale Politik, Germany's leading foreign policy journal, explores the impact of Germany's phase-out of nuclear power on EU policies. Sascha Müller-Kraenner, a founder and policy advisor of Ecologic Institute, invites Germans to consider the impact of this policy on other EU Member States and sketches challenges for EU energy and climate policy. The article is available online.Read more

Publication

Das Klimaschutzrecht des Bundes

Analyse und Vorschläge zu seiner Weiterentwicklung

In light of the increasing importance of climate change, a number of related legislative activities in Germany have occurred. However the resulting climate change law is incomplete and not always coherent. Professor Michael Rodi from the University of Greifswald and Ecologic Institute analysed German federal climate change law and developed proposals for its advancement. The legal study on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency is available for download.Read more

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Article

Arctic

The EU's Arctic Footprint

As part of the EU's efforts to define its role in Arctic management and decision making, the European Commission Directorate-General for the Environment funded the EU Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment to determine its impact, responsibilities, and policy options to protect the Arctic. This article summarizes the key findings from the study, and presents an overview of the EU's Arctic footprint. The article is available for download.Read more