The EU-funded research project "Climate Change, Hydro-conflicts and Human Security" (CLICO) investigates how climate change influences water, human security, and conflicts in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and the Sahel region. Ecologic Institute recently published a working paper written by Elizabeth Tedsen that examines current initiatives of the European Union and United Nations relating to these themes of climate, water, human security, and conflict.

Adaptation to climate change: What does this mean in practice? Where can I find support and orientation, what good examples already exist? Answers to these questions can be found in a brochure prepared by Ecologic Institute on behalf of the Competence Centre on Climate Impacts and Adaptation (KomPass) of the German Federal Environment Agency.

Porsch, Lucas; Wolf Müller; Holger Gerdes et. al.: Summary / Comparative Review of Findings. IN-STREAM Deliverable 7.1.

Srebotnjak, Tanja; Holger Gerdes; Aaron Best et. al. 2009: Evaluation of Indicators for EU Policy Objectives. Research note (D 2.1)

Meyer-Ohlendorf, Nils, Aaron Best; Michael Mehling et. al. 2009: The Green New Deal. Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise als Chance für eine ökologische Wirtschaftspolitik. Berlin.

This paper first analyses the 2009 stimulus packages of six EU Member States – namely, Austria, Germany, France, Poland, Slovenia and the UK – with a focus on the potential of the packages to contribute to the implementation of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) and the Lisbon Strategy. In Chapter 4, the paper discusses the extent to which the packages help implement the EU SDS and Lisbon strategies. Chapter 5 draws conclusions and presents recommendations. An annex provides an overview of the targets and implementation status of the EU SDS and the Lisbon Strategy.

Sina, Stephan; Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf and Ralph Czarnecki 2009: Ein Klimaschutzgesetz für Deutschland. Juristisches Kurzgutachten des Ecologic Instituts. Berlin.

This brief expert report analyses the extent to which the economic stimulus packages launched in 2009 have the potential to drive forward a fundamental and sustainable transformation of the economy or to create new "path dependencies", i.e. to encourage businesses to remain in traditional industries or production methods that have been identified as unsustainable. For these purposes, this study analyses the economic stimulus packages of Germany, Great Britain, South Korea and the USA and briefly presents the programmes of China and Japan. Only initial estimates can be made in the context of this study, assuming that every euro or dollar spent in a given area has a similar environmental impact.

This paper presents an overview of the existing institutional and legal framework relevant to environmental governance, as well as formal and informal governance structures in the Arctic marine area. It highlights the complexity of approaches applicable at the local, regional and international scales, rather than identifying gaps in governance at the sectoral scale. The background paper is available for download.

This background paper, prepared by the Arctic Centre in September 2008 as part of the Arctic TRANSFORM project addresses the magnitude of current oil and gas activities in the offshore Arctic and outlines the potential environmental, social and economic consequences of the offshore hydrocarbon activities. It examines the international legal framework for offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic, including transboundary environmental assessment of oil and gas activities and addresses the current policy context in offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic.

In a Discussion Paper for the German Development Institute (DIE), Sascha Müller-Kraenner analyses the energy-related foreign policies of China and India, both "anchor countries" with fast-growing economies. Their quest for energy security as well as climate policy have become defining elements of both countries' foreign policies, a fact that the EU and the US must respond to.

Industrial production processes account for a considerable share of the overall pollution in Europe. To minimize harmful effects on the environment and push for environmentally sound technology, the EU’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control policy (IPPC) requires polluting operators to obtain environmental permits for running their industrial installations. By doing so, the policy aims at providing incentives for clean technologies and eventually excluding irresponsible polluters. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to implement IPPC standards within the Union, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to pollution prevention and control for its European neighbours and Russia.

In a discussion paper for the recently launched Forum for Atlantic Climate and Energy Talks (FACET), Camilla Bausch and Michael Mehling look back on the recent negotiations at the U.N. climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, and analyse the implications of the "Bali Roadmap" for the future of the international climate regime.