In the current debate about a Federal Climate Change Act, people often overlook that in Germany about half of the federal states already have a climate change law as a comprehensive legal framework. On behalf of WWF Germany, Ecologic Institute compiled an overview over core elements of federal climate change laws and their impact on a potential Federal Climate Change Act.

In January 2019, the stakeholder workshop "Using the Subsoil to Better Prepare for Droughts – An Acceptance Analysis of Measures to Enhance the Subsoil" of the BMBF-funded BonaRes project "Soil³ – Sustainable Subsoil Management" took place in Bonn. The aim of the workshop was to discuss the prevailing opinions on subsoil management measures. Ecologic Institute researchers discussed with farmers and other ecological actors under which conditions they would implement or support these measures. The protocol is available for download.

The goal of the European Environment Agency's European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC/BD) is to collect and monitor data on biodiversity, as well as issues and ecological pressures related to biodiversity. This data is used to establish the state of Europe's ecosystems to support the assessment, development, and implementation of EU policies such as the Nature Directives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Ecologic Institute is supporting the ETC/BD since 2014 with data collection and assessment on ecosystem status and trends, policy analysis, and monitoring. Ecologic Institute is also conducting multiple assessments to contribute to the European Environment Agency's assessment reports.

Ecologic Institute is member of the European Topic Centre on Urban, Land and Soil System (ETC/ULS) which works with the European Environment Agency (EEA) under a Framework Partnership Agreement for the period from 2019 to 2021. Ecologic Institute's expertise in the ETC/ULS covers soils, forests and land use policy evaluation. In particular, it carries out screening and review of the evolving needs from EU policy regarding geospatial information and indicators. It also reviews the data, information and indicators needs of the new EU Forest Strategy for 2030.

In this article, the authors, among them Ecologic Institute's Linda Mederake, assess innovative climate governance in small-to-medium-sized structurally disadvantaged cities (SDCs). Considering their deeply ingrained severe economic and social problems, it would be reasonable to assume that SDCs act primarily as climate laggards or at best as followers. However, novel empirical findings show that SDCs are capable of acting as climate pioneers. Different types and styles of climate leadership and pioneership and how they operate within multi-level and polycentric governance structures are identified and assessed. SDCs seem relatively readily willing to adopt transformational climate pioneership styles to create 'green' jobs, for example, in the offshore wind energy sector and with the aim of improving their poor external image.

Ecologic Institute is member of the European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters (ETC-ICM) which works with the European Environment Agency (EEA) under a Framework Partnership Agreement for the period from 2019 to 2021.

Biofuels form a large part of renewable energy consumption in the transport sector in the EU. The use of biofuels has many challenges for consumers and it is therefore necessary to better understand the different problems and trends of consumption in the EU. "Study on the use of feedstocks for biofuels in selected EU countries" evaluates the availability of data on different sustainability aspects of biofuels in selected EU member states. In addition, it provides information on relevant policy measures to support biofuel consumption.

The RECIPES project (REconciling sCience, Innovation and Precaution through the Engagement of Stakeholders) aims to develop new tools and guidelines to ensure the precautionary principle is applied while still encouraging innovation. RECIPES will consider a number of concerns and broaden the basis of participation by engaging with citizens and stakeholders in the co-creation of new tools for innovation and precaution. The objective is to address and reduce societal controversy while helping policymakers and other stakeholders to assess risks and uncertainty and applying the precautionary principle taking into account innovation.

The National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) are a key tool of the Energy Union Governance towards achieving the EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets. All Member State had to submit their drafts by 31 December 2018. The Ecologic Institute, together with CLIMACT, developed a methodology to rate and rank the draft NECPs. Funded by the European Climate Foundation, this project sheds light on how well Member States are fulfilling the obligation of the Governance Regulation and thereby, how well Member States are supporting the achievement of the 2030 targets.

Retailers play an essential role in shaping product decisions via their own business choices—choices regarding which suppliers to work with, what items to stock, how to manage supply-chain operations, what information to provide to consumers, as well as how their own brand identity and market positioning will relate to sustainability. Retailers thus occupy a unique position in the product value chain, being intermediaries between producers and consumers, with considerable influence on which goods we enjoy as consumers, the means by which they come to us and the long chain of impacts related to our purchasing decisions.

The volume "Sites of Remembering: Landscapes, Lessons, Policies" of the Rachel Carson Centres' journal called "Perspectives" bridges the gap between humanities research and public policy. It uses a diverse selection of examples from worldwide memory studies to illuminate how society can employ lessons from the past in building resilience to ecological and humanitarian disasters. Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute is a co-author. The volume is available for download.

Residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals may enter water and soil via manure and dung. Farmers can reduce this environmental impact through their farming practices. These teaching materials were designed for agricultural vocational schools. They contain worksheets, information on classroom design and background information for teachers. The teaching materials are available to teachers and learners for free use.

Residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals may enter water and soil via manure and dung. Farmers can reduce this environmental impact through their practices. These teaching materials have been designed for advanced learners in agriculture. They consist of presentation slides and accompanying background material. The slides are designed for a 90-minute lecture. The teaching materials are available for teachers and learners to use freely.

This final report contains the interim results of a project on communication strategies for reducing agriculture-related entry of veterinary pharmaceuticals into the environment.

Residues of veterinary pharmaceuticals may enter water and soil via manure and dung. Veterinarians can reduce this environmental impact through their practices. These teaching materials were designed for further veterinary training. They consist of lecture slides and accompanying background material. The teaching materials are available to teachers and learners for free use.