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.

This discussion paper outlines different options to design a standard-setting scheme that addresses these problems.

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.

The aim of this paper, prepared by the Arctic Centre in September 2008 as part of the Arctic TRANSFORM project, is to present the situation of the Arctic indigenous peoples in relation to the changing marine environment. The Arctic region is home to several groups of indigenous peoples (including Inupiat, Yup’ik and Aleut in Alaska, Inuit in Greenland and Canada, Saami in Fennoscandia and Russia and, Yup’ik, Chukchi, Even, Evenk and Nenets in Russia). Out of the total population of 4 million people in the Arctic, 10 % are indigenous. Climate change significantly impacts the traditional harvesting and other activities of indigenous peoples.

Dworak, Thomas; Anna Leipprand 2007: Climate Change and the EU Water Policy. Including Climate Change in River Basin Planning. Support to the CIS working group on Climate change and Water. Ecologic Institute: Vienna, Berlin.

Human activities exert pressure on water. Overexploitation and water pollution, especially in Eastern European countries, threaten future availability of clean water. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to halt this trend, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes water policy cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to sustainable use and management of water for its European neighbours and Russia.

The ongoing decline in biodiversity threatens fundamental ecosystem functions. An increased fragmentation of habitats in continental Europe has yielded a gradual loss in animal species and plants which jeopardizes human utilization of natural resources. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to halt this trend, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes nature protection cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to nature protection for its European neighbours and Russia. The guide is available for download in four different languages.

Access to information on the environment is an indispensible precondition for effective environmental policies. If this access is denied, neither the public sector nor the private sector is capable of making environmentally sound decisions. Willing to complement the EU's efforts to grant such access, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes environmental policy cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to EC horizontal environmental legislation for its European neighbours and Russia.

2007: EU/ US Farmer-to-Farmer Exchange Program, August 8 - August 19, 2007. Berlin.

Uncontrolled landfills, excessive littering and an increasing share of electronic waste pose a threat to human health and the environment. To address these problems, the EU has established a waste hierarchy which prioritises the management and treatment of waste. The prevention of unnecessary waste production and the utilization of waste as a source of energy rank at the top of the list. Willing to complement the EU's efforts to improve waste management practices 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 environmentally sound waste management for its European neighbours and Russia.

The EU-U.S. Summit on 30 April 2007 passed a statement on energy security, efficiency, and climate change that is strong on rhetoric but weak on substance. Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Director of the Europe program at the Nature Conservancy and Senior Policy Advisor to Ecologic Institute, provides some critical commentary on the substance of the summit.