Sandra Cavalieri, Fellow and Arctic Programme Coordinator at Ecologic Institute, presented the results of the EU Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment project at a conference hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA) on 8 December 2010 in Paris, France. The results show Europe’s Arctic environmental footprint from a broad range of sources, and added to the discussion on how ESA can improve its satellites and remote sensing data to contribute to the EU’s Arctic policy development. The presentation is available for download.

In this article, the online edition of IP Global, Germany's leading foreign policy magazine, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Senior Policy Advisor of Ecologic Institute, looks at the outcomes of the COP 10 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Nagoya, Japan, and the reasons behind them. His analysis points to opportunities on the road ahead for the international climate negotiations beyond the UNFCCC COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of 2010.

<p>&#13; Electric vehicles can potentially make significant contributions towards achieving the EU’s climate protection goals in the transport sector. In the context of the Dresden university days on ecological-social market economy and sustainability, Max Grünig, Fellow at Ecologic Institute Berlin, presented a summary of the potential and limitations of electric vehicles.</p>&#13;

Green Infrastructure has emerged as a valuable tool to enhance ecosystem resilience and to contribute to biodiversity conservation and benefit human populations. Ecologic Institute and GHK produced a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and cost efficiency of green infrastructure projects in the EU to solidify the understanding of this concept.

<p>&#13; The European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) convened a workshop on "Reforms for Measuring Welfare and Wealth in the Context of Sustainable Development" in Berlin on 2 and 3 December 2010. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute moderated the event discussing "Beyond GDP", which was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Environment (BMU) and the German Bank for Reconstruction (KfW).</p>&#13;

On behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency, Ecologic Institute conducted a study on the impacts of individual tourism in Antarctica. The report "A Sustainable Tourism Concept for Antarctica" sheds light on possible approaches to tourism management and develops a set of recommendations for a sustainable tourism concept in Antarctica.</p>&#13;&#13;

Ecologic Institute, represented by Tanja Srebotnjak and Sebastian Veit, completed a study commissioned by the European Parliament (EP) on the use of radioactively contaminated materials in the construction of residential dwellings in Gabon and Niger. In particular, the study examines practices in the disposal of materials discarded in the mining of uranium in these two countries and is based, inter alia, on a fact-finding mission to Gabon by Sebastian Veit.

What is the current state of climate and energy policies in the Arab countries? What countries and which initiatives are leading the way? Who are the key drivers for climate protection? What are options for Arab-German cooperation and how can countries in the region benefit from Germany's experiences? These and other issues were explored by 25 journalists and experts at a German-Arab Media Dialogue, taking place from 28 November to 1 December 2010 in Abu Dhabi. Organized by the Ecologic Institute in cooperation with the German Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the event was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

<p>&#13; Ingmar von Homeyer, Ecologic Institute Senior Fellow and Head of the Ecologic Institute representation in Brussels, provided an assessment of the Thematic Strategies as the most important ‘tool’ of the European Union’s 6th Environment Action Programme (6EAP) at a conference organised by Brussels Environment in the context of the 2010 Belgian EU Presidency.</p>&#13;

Road transport is the most important driver for increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union and is therefore critical to achieving the EU's 20 % greenhouse gas reduction target in 2020. The objective is to decouple economic growth and the demand for transport with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This video (8:36 Min.) visualizes European data on economic growth, transport and greenhouse gas emissions.

<p>Climate change, energy security and peak oil are challenges that may lead to an increased use of Arctic resources and water ways. Professor Suzanne Lalonde of the University of Montreal discussed legal aspects of Arctic sovereignty and the emerging security issues.</p>&#13;

Climate change brings significant changes to the Arctic, resulting in a new geopolitical dynamics and challenges in the relations between Arctic and non-Arctic nations. On 23 November 2010, the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation convened an expert meeting in Berlin to discuss the strategic, military and political challenges, the role of the EU, and implications for resource, energy and climate policy. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute was invited as keynote speaker on EU Arctic Policy in the context of regional environmental governance.