At the 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference, Ecologic Institute's Hugh McDonald and Sandra Naumann presented and discussed Ecologic work on nature-based solutions and managing aquatic biodiversity. The UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 14) took place from 13 to 29 November 2018 in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt). Approximately 3,800 representatives from government, NGOs, indigenous groups, academia, business and civil society came together to discuss the theme "Investing in biodiversity for people and planet".

Sustainable development is a long-term political goal of the European Union (EU), which has become even more important since the adoption of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has been monitoring progress in the field of sustainable development for years with the help of indicator sets. Since 2008, the Ecologic Institute, together with the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, INFRAS and the Haymarket Media Group, has been producing monitoring reports on the subject, which will include SDG monitoring for the years 2019 to 2022, as well as monitoring on the Europe 2020 strategy and new political priorities of the European Commission after 2020.

The Climate Action Plan 2050 represents Germany's long-term strategy for climate protection against the background of the Paris Agreement. Within the framework of this project, Ecologic Institute, together with the Oeko-Institut and Prof. Dr. Klinski of the HWR Berlin, supports the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in its work to implement, concretize and update the Climate Action Plan. The predominantly legal, but also partly economic and social scientific support is provided in particular for the development of the Climate Action Programme 2030 and for the legal anchoring and further development of the measures envisaged therein.

In June 2017, the EU Commission adopted the new EU One Health Action Plan to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The "One Health" approach which lies at the basis of the Action Plan is centred on an integrative management of health risks; it leaves aside a purely human or veterinary approach in favor of a more holistic one which includes the environment. In this context, the UBA (Umweltbundesamt Deutschland) has prepared a background paper which presents various options for action in the areas of use prevention, entry and disposal of antibiotics. UBA supports the overarching objective of the EU One Health Action Plan, against the background of growing problems with antibiotic resistance, of maintaining the possibility of effective infection treatment in humans and animals.

On 7 November 2018, federal ministers Elisabeth Köstinger, Norbert Hofer and Heinz Faßmann kicked-off the process for the development of a national bioeconomy strategy in Austria. A conference entitled "Bioeconomy: Sustainable and Circular" was organised, which brought together relevant stakeholders as part of an intensified discourse about the future of the bioeconomy in Austria. Ecologic Institute's Holger Gerdes had been invited to take part in a panel discussion.

This discussion paper, edited by Ecologic Institute, presents the physicochemical investigation methods used in the research focus "Plastics in the Environment", in particular for the analysis of microplastics. Therefore, representatives of the joint research projects discussed methods and analytical approaches to identify validated methods and comparable results in the various projects. The discussion paper reflects the current state the debate within the research focus. It contributes to a pool of methods that are as standardised as possible for the relevant application fields in science, industry, and administration and is available for download.

Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) is a network designed and planned to deliver awide range of ecosystem services and to protect biodiversity. Existing GBI designs lacked a systematic method to allocate restoration zones. This study proposes a novel approach for systematically selecting cost-effective areas for restoration on the basis of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and ecosystem condition to give an optimal spatial design of GBI. Ecologic Institute's Hugh McDonald contributed to this article.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) provide an integrated approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation in urban areas, while simultaneously offering a range of additional benefits. This project aims to increase the awareness of NBS in Poland as a cost-effective urban climate mitigation measure and build capacity, knowledge and skills among city officials, municipal staff, and landscape planners to enable the conceptual and technical design and implementation of NBS.

This Briefing Note presents the first insights from Climate Recon 2050 – a project aiming to facilitate intra-EU exchange and foster the creation of know-how and networks essential to develop effective and ambitious national long-term climate strategies as a tool to guide a successful transition to a low-carbon economy. The Briefing Note brings together insights from the project’s activities – including a day of discussions on long-term climate planning held among policymakers from 10 EU Member States – and builds on related research by project partners.

Hogan, Michael; Frederick Weston and Raffaele Piria 2018: Power systems in the 2020s: What can Germany and the PJM region learn from each other? Briefing note for the Germany – PJM States Energy Trends Forum. The Regulatory Assistance Project, Montpellier Vermont, USA.

In this article Ralph Bodle and Vicky Noens outline some of the many finance issues to be addressed COP 24 and look more in-depth at two particular issues: the overarching goal regarding finance flows in Article 2(1)(c); and transparency of support.

This report summarizes the key findings of the CIRCULAR IMPACTS project and provides an impact analysis setting out impacts of circular-economy transitions on the macroeconomy and society. The results of case studies conducted within the project are included as are results from modelling done by external parties, accompanied by an overview of the methodologies used. This report thus provides an overview of presently available quantitative evidence on the macroeconomic and societal impacts of the circular economy. In addition, an overview of recent policy development on EU level in relation to the circular economy is provided, as are the key conclusions and policy messages from the project. Lastly, recommendations for future circular economy research are given, with the aim of improving scenario-based impact analyses for the European policymaking context.

In the EU, the aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use energy more efficiently. This webinar presented a number of key topics connected to a role that district heating plays in achieving decarbonisation of economies and energy systems. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.

To emphasise important messages of the IPCC special report relating to climate and environmental policy and to make them available for policy-making, the German Federal Environment Agency presented selected findings of the report in a webinar on 26 October 2018. A second webinar on this topic took place on 23 November 2018. Ecologic Institute supported the Federal Environment Agency in the logistical and content-related organisation of both webinars.

Since industrialisation, the average air temperature worldwide has risen by one degree, whereas in the Arctic by five degrees. This leads to rapid changes with serious consequences. This animated explanatory video by the UBA explains what this has to do with us in Germany, 2000 kilometers away. It outlines the federal government's commitment to the Arctic and what each individual can do to protect the Arctic.