Tedsen, Elizabeth; R. Andreas Kraemer 2015: Regional Environmental Challenges and Solutions in the Pan-Atlantic Space. ATLANTIC FUTURE scientific paper no. 32, Berlin.

This report takes stock of adaptation planning and measures to date in Europe and globally. Case studies for assessment were selected based on criteria developed in line with the key principles and objectives of BASE. The report provides a general assessment of 136 selected case studies focusing on aspects including types of measure, stakeholder groups involved, sectors, decision support tools (participatory and economic), and funding sources. A further nine case studies are then explored in more detail in regard to measure selection and methods.

The Canadian province of Alberta is well-known for being the home of the country’s current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and the infamous tar sands. The traditionally conservative province has been criticized for its contribution to climate change. Binnu Jeyakumar, Consulting Advisor at Pembina Institute, led a discussion on this topic at Ecologic Institute. The seminar focused on the current political change in Alberta and its implications for the province’s involvement in the fight against climate change.

Ecologic Institute prepared and organised a full-day workshop with around 100 European and international experts and decision makers from natural and social sciences, politics, business, civil society and the media, discussing the topic "Decarbonisation – 100% Renewable Energy and more." The workshop, which took place on 9 November 2015, fostered the dialogue between international and European partners to launch a debate on how greenhouse gas neutrality can be achieved in different EU Member States.

The KlimaDiskurs.NRW (short: KD) is an independent platform to discuss varying interests and find solutions around climate protection in the German federal state of North-Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Founded in 2012, it aims at bringing together various actors from the industry and energy state NRW, creating space for the discussion of their different viewpoints, increasing the level of trust and discussing potential solutions. Prior a second funding period, the funding Foundation Mercator commissioned the Ecologic Institute with an evaluation of the KD.

The Emerging Leaders in Environment and Energy Policies Network (ELEEP) is helping to deepen transatlantic cooperation on climate and energy by organising a Transatlantic Energy and Climate Dialogue. Specific themes of the ELEEP Transatlantic Energy and Climate Dialogue are the transition to low-carbon energy systems in the EU & the US, local adaptation of energy systems to climate change impacts and the potential for transatlantic cooperation in carbon markets. Over the course of two years, 40-60 new ELEEP Fellows will join the network and engage in a variety of offline and in-person activities. Based on these activities, members will collaborate on online platforms to produce jointly published policy papers and impact projects, which will be presented at an ELEEP Conference in Washington D.C. in the summer of 2017.

Several regions, notably in eastern Germany, are faced with the challenge of maintaining infrastructure and services while coping with shrinking populations and financial constraints. Could up-to-date information and communication technologies, such as the internet of services and things, be part of the solution? A conceptual study focusing on Schwerin and its surrounding areas has been launched to help answer this question.

Porsch, Porsch; Terri Kafyeke; Jiayi Yuan 2015: How to measure the Sustainable Development Goals in Central Europe? NETGREEN Policy Brief No. 2 / 4 August 2015 Deliverable D4.2

Veterinary medicinal products (VMPs) and their metabolites are increasingly becoming the focus of scientific and public debate as environmental contaminants. The project developed an overview of research results, mitigation measures and concepts to reduce the inputs of veterinary pharmaceuticals into the environment. The results are summarised in the handbook "Concepts for Mitigating Veterinary Pharmaceutical Inputs from Agriculture into the Environment."

The Yearbook Ecology 2016 was published in August. Ecologic Institute is one of the institutes supporting this yearbook.

Ecologic Institute would like to issue a warm welcome to our newest Shareholder, Willem van Rijn.
 Willem van Rijn added his expertise to the Ecologic Institute Board of Shareholders in 2015. He brings with him a wealth of experience in international finance and consulting as well as a well-honed background in strategy and risk management. Willem van Rijn is currently active as an investor, advisor and board member at various institutions.

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety has commissioned Prognos AG and Ecologic Institute with a project assessing the interdependencies between climate protection measures and policies and gas infrastructure planning in Europe. As part of the project Ecologic Institute is conducting a process analysis of gas infrastructure planning in Europe and six selected Member States. Ecologic Institute will also conduct an analysis of political, social, economic and technical risks related to the application of low-carbon alternatives to gas infrastructure development, including energy efficiency and renewable energy.

ECONADPT (2015). The Costs and Benefits of Adaptation: Results from the ECONADAPT Project. Editor Watkiss, P. Published by the ECONADAPT consortium.

It is widely recognized that national or regional efforts to restrict the damage of climate change are insufficient and hence that environmental and climate protection needs a global concept. Paradoxically, the way environmental and climate change is perceived and damage is handled is linked to local and regional patterns of perceptions. Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute and Prof. Michael Paolisso from the University of Maryland investigate the ways local knowledge and the values of major cultural groups shape understanding and perceptions of climate change risks, and in turn the consequences of that cultural knowledge in terms of vulnerability, adaptation and resilience.

The state of Baden Württemberg developed a new climate policy in 2013. This changes the preconditions for the funding scheme Klimaschutz-Plus an important part of the state's climate policy. The Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung Heidelberg (IFEU) and the Ecologic Institute supported the Ministry of Environment Baden-Württemberg to update the support program Klimaschutz-Plus. Throughout the project, cooperation with the applicants and recipients of funding as well as with the program's coordinators was a major focus of this project.