According to the European Commission, almost 26 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated annually in the EU. And since we learned how to produce plastic, humans have manufactured more than 8.3 billion tonnes of it – most of which ended up as a waste product somewhere on the planet. This process leads to plastic waste entering the landscape, rivers, beaches, and eventually ocean. So how can we possibly address a problem of this size?

A new report by the Ecologic Institute and the Oeko-Institut explores the role of carbon removals in the EU's climate framework for 2040. The report gives an overview of past trends in carbon removals in the EU, and explores possible contributions from natural and technical sinks to reaching the 2040 climate target. With a focus on measures and policies governing and incentivizing carbon removals, the report also examines the extent to which temporary and permanent carbon removals can contribute to achieving the EU's 2040 target.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are widely recognized for their potential to transform urban spaces into sustainable and environmentally friendly environments. Yet open questions remain around how this can be done in practice, what role different stakeholders can play, and what key challenges and opportunities exist. These topics were explored in the science-policy symposium "Regreening Cities with Nature-based solutions in EU and China – Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice". Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis presented insights from the INTERLACE project on a panel in the session "Enabling Transformation in Urban areas with Nature Based Solutions".

In some EU Member States, water balances have been in place for a long time, whilst for others this is a new field of water management. To support their development and use, an EU guidance document was adopted in 2015; however, there are still major challenges for their implementation. The analysis for this report has grouped these challenges (based on Member State self-assessments as well) in four clusters.

With climate change, the impacts of water scarcity and droughts are becoming of increasing concern in Europe. Water allocation mechanisms are major levers to increase water resilience, however, little work has yet occurred on the topic at EU level. This report, prepared in cooperation with members of the ad-hoc technical group on Water Scarcity and Droughts of the EU Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the Water Framework Directive (WFD), reviews the literature and practice for water allocation mechanisms. It identifies key challenges in EU Member States and highlights examples of methods in place.

Lina-Marie Dück, Fellow of Ecologic Institute, presented a case study examining climate change litigation in Germany at a workshop held online in Beijing and Berlin. The study highlighted seven distinct cases, encompassing matters related to climate mitigation at both federal and state levels, as well as within specific administrative decisions concerning project approval.

A Cities Talk Nature Global Engagement Event was organized as part of the INTERLACE project in Envigado, Colombia and streamed online on 23 and 24 November 2023 to explore these topics in more depth. Entitled ‘Rethinking urban-rural linkages for people and biodiversity’, the conference convened over 100 municipal actors and practitioners from Europe and Latin America interested in harnessing the potential of NBS in their cities and regions. Co-organised by UCLG, Humboldt Institute Colombia and Ecologic Institute, the event featured diverse formats, including field visits, practical workshops, and peer-to-peer discussions.

In this study published by the European Commission, a first assessment is made of the strategic decisions made by Member States for the use of EUR 307 billion in support of agriculture and rural areas between 2023 and 2027. It maps the choices made in the CAP Strategic Plans (CSP) approved in December 2022 and analyses the joint efforts and potential impacts of Member States’ choices in relation to the nine specific objectives and the cross-cutting objective, with a focus on selected Green Deal targets.

The EU's Climate Council's new report recommends a GHG emission reduction target of 90-95 percent in 2040, which is a very significant reduction target. The EU has adopted numerous reforms until 2030, but none of them targeted the agricultural sector. So, what will be the next steps towards 2040 for agriculture? How should a large sector like agriculture contribute? On 13 November 2023, Hugh McDonald and Julia Bognar (IEEP) took up the question of possible answers to this question.

Join us on 23-24 November 2023 in the city of Envigado (Colombia), for a special conference and engagement event, through which you will be able to learn in detail from Envigado's experience, as well as from the examples of other cities from the Cities Talk Nature community of practice, and the expertise of the INTERLACE project partners.

The first expert dialogue as part of the MEER:STARK project was held on 21. November 2023 at the IOW in Warnemünde. Around 30 participants discussed the topic of "Resilience and Climate Adaptation for the North and Baltic Seas and their Estuaries" at the expert dialogue. The aim of the expert dialogue was to initiate a discussion and develop recommendations for action for climate adaptation measures and the protection of seas, coasts and estuaries. A special feature of the expert dialogue was the cooperation between the MEER:STARK project and the BluEs project.

The project aims to provide the European Commission with information on how to best use the EU budget in the post-2027 MFF to achieve the ambitious environmental and climate objectives in an effective and efficient way. The results of this project will feed into the political processes that will shape the post-2027 MFF.

The goal of the research project is a feasibility study on the introduction of environmental information and classification system for pharmaceuticals in Germany. The results of this feasibility study will include not only an assessment of the organizational or legal viability but also the development of a comprehensive concept for the successful integration into the daily professional practices of doctors and pharmacists in Germany.

Healthcare professionals increasingly want to ensure the best medical care, but also consider the environmental impact. To provide pharmacists and healthcare professionals with quick and effective information, core elements for environmentally friendly prescribing and dispensing practices have been compiled in a checklist.

This report by the Ecologic Institute and the Oeko-Institut provides an overview of design options for the EU's 2040 climate target and options for the implementation framework. The report discusses reforms how to make the EU climate policy framework fit for achieving the 2040 climate target.