How can energy efficiency contribute to a successful "Energiewende" in Germany? Hans-Joachim Ziesing, Associate at Ecologic Institute, discusses this question in his article "Energy saving and energy efficiency in Germany" in the 2013 issue of the "Yearbook Ecology". He describes the "Energiewende" as a decision stemming from societal and political consensus in Germany. Its implementation, however, remains unclear. In a " Energy Efficiency Key Issues Report", the federal government addresses this issue: besides the promotion of Renewable Energy, more energy efficiency is necessary to successfully implement the "Energiewende".

In a book chapter (in French), R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute and Bernard Barraqué trace the historical development of modern water services in Britain and Germany. The chapter describes the different roles of municipalities and central government in the process.

Geoengineering describes a range of techniques that are proposed to counteract some of the negative impacts of climate change at a global scale, without actually reducing emissions. This chapter provides an overview of geoengineering techniques and the existing international law applicable to them.

In a chapter for the edited volume Metropolitan sustainability: Understanding and improving the urban environment, Max Grünig from the Ecologic Institute discusses non-technical approaches for developing sustainable transport and mobility plans in urban areas. The chapter 'Sustainable urban transport planning' emphasizes that it is important to understand consumer behavior and the characteristics of different urban transport choices in order to find the best solution for different urban areas.

The EU target to raise the share of biofuels in transport to 10 % by 2020 remains one of the most controversial environmental policy decisions in recent years. In this book chapter written by Timo Kaphengst and Katharina Umpfenbach of Ecologic Institute together with Bernd Hirschl and Anna Neumann, the authors examine the role of scientific evidence and impact assessments in the policy process leading up to the adoption of the Renewable Energy Directive.

Handbook chapter on the promotion of the waste management recycling of biowastes under the German Life-Cycle Resource Management Act as amended in 2012 and on the incentives regime for the energy recovery from biowastes particularly in the electricity sector under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act as amended in 2011.

Sustainability aspects are often insufficiently considered, if at all, within standards for evaluations or impact assessments. This book chapter points out the challenges raised by sustainability evaluations and the aspects which should be added to existing evaluation standards.

The growing importance of international law for global climate cooperation is underscored in a new book chapter by Michael Mehling and Arturo Brandt, which recently appeared in the first manual on international environmental law for a Spanish-speaking audience. "Derecho Internacional del Medio Ambiente", a new collection of essays from Cameron May Publishing, covers the foundations of international environmental law, key environmental regimes, and topics of relevance for environmental protection at a global level.

Dr. Wolgang Urban, Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presents guidelines for the further expansion of biogas in the conference proceedings "Biogas in Agriculture - Status and Perspectives." These proceedings contain the specialists' contributions of the second FNR/KTBL Congress "Biogas in Agriculture – Status and Prospects", dealing with current biological, processual, and operational measures to stabilize and improve the investment process. In addition, new conversion methods, the effects of system damages, and legal developments for biogas production are discussed. The proceedings can be purchased at the price of 25 Euro in KTBL online shop.

In a literature review, Ecologic Institute examined the effects of environmental tax reforms on the distribution of wealth among different population groups. The review, which contributed to a study commissioned by the European Environment Agency, was included in a book publication offering in-depth assessments of experiences with environmental tax reforms and the benefits such a reform could bring about when implemented at a larger scale throughout Europe.

Climate change and ongoing transformations in the economy and agriculture will have numerous, strong impacts on the Baltic Region. The book "Global Change and Baltic Coastal Zones" provides comprehensive information on these changes, their consequences and the practical challenges they pose. Grit Martinez and Daniel Blobel from Ecologic Institute, along with co-authors Livia Bizikova (International Institute for Sustainable Development) and Rob Swart (Alterra Wageningen University and Research Centre), contributed a comparative analysis of climate change adaptation projects and strategies in different coastal regions of the world. The publication is supported by the RADOST project (Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast), which Ecologic Institute coordinates.

Martinez, Grit and Teun Bastemeijer 2011: "Climate Change Adaptation and Water Integrity. A Global Challenge to Address Local Realities.", in: Gareth Sweeney; Rebecca Dobson; Krina Despota and Dieter Zinnbauer (eds.): Global Corruption Report: Climate Change: Earthscan, 284-288.

"Nobody wanted anything from Europe, nobody needed to negotiate with Europe." This is how Sascha Müller-Kraenner summarizes the role of the European Union at the Copenhagen climate summit. In his article "After Copenhagen – A new start for Europe’s climate diplomacy," published in "Jahrbuch Ökologie 2011," Ecologic Institute's advisor and co-founder analyzes the new distribution of power at international climate negotiations.

"Latin America and the Caribbean; A Biodiversity Superpower" is an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Marlon Flores, Senior Policy Advisor at Ecologic Institute, contributed the chapter on "Protected Areas" to the initiative's report "Importance of Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Economic Growth and Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Economic Valuation of Ecosystems".

In this chapter, Ecologic Senior Fellow Ingmar von Homeyer argues that the institutional structures and processes underlying EU environmental governance have undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Important characteristics of this emerging "experimentalism" in EU environmental governance include the transition of many important decisions into the implementation stage, trans-nationally networked implementation, and the creation of indicators and reporting requirements for regular review and revision of policies.