The more stringent climate targets of the state of Berlin require that both the heat supply is converted to renewable energies in the next few years and that the building envelopes are ambitiously renovated to make them more energy efficient. This poses great challenges for the state and districts as well as the real estate industry. At the same time, due to the tense situation on the Berlin housing market, there is a need for regulations to protect tenants, which is why the number of milieu protection areas in Berlin's districts has risen sharply. In these areas, which already contain a relevant proportion of old buildings which are in need of refurbishment, there are additional obstacles to climate protection measures that are in line with the objectives.

Europa its on its way towards a circular economy and has set itself an extremely ambitious plan to this end in the form of the Circular Economy Action Plan; among other things, non-recyclable residual waste is to be halved by 2030. But how is it being put into practice? And what does it take to gain more speed here – for example in the textile sector, which is virtually exemplary for the linear thinking of a throwaway culture.

The briefing provides a didactic overview on carbon farming. Specifically, it summarizes the current scientific understanding of the mitigation potentials, co-benefits and trade-offs of carbon farming, as well as the key agronomic practices and key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to scale up carbon farming and to deliver robust climate mitigation and EU Green Deal objectives.

Citizens' councils are booming. Now, EU citizen panels have started. A first step has been taken, but it is still a long way to go for the EU Panels to be successful, write Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf from the Ecologic Institute and Felix Nasser from the German Bürgerrat Klima in the Tagesspiegel Background. They make three proposals how to turn the EU Citizens Panels into a success.

Infrastructure development in Germany must be increasingly geared towards increased climate targets and the need for decarbonization. At the same time, public participation is still needed to involve the population in the upcoming change processes and to ensure democratic achievements. Thus, leveraging efficiency potentials in planning processes is considered key to manage infrastructure development in a more targeted manner in the years to come. What are the possibilities, limits and sensible approaches to accelerating planning?

In general words, the interview with Mario Delgado Galarraga, International Climate Protection Fellow at Ecologic Institute, touches upon issues concerning International Environmental and Climate Change Law. It briefly refers to the general background of the last COP, its possible outcomes, and the ongoing climate issues according to the IPCC. The interview was conducted and broadcast by the equadorian TV station TELESUCESOS and is available online.

This infographic was created for the study "Nature-based Solutions and Global Climate Protection". It has been developed by Öko-Institut and Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Environment Agency. It is based on Reise et al. (2022): Nature-based Solutions and global climate protection. Climate Change 01/2022. Dessau-Roßlau. You can download a print version of the infographic.

Regions play a central role in achieving the substantial acceleration of renewable energy deployment required to reach the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets. The report "The socio-economic impacts of renewable energy in EU regions: Strengthening local benefits" examines the socio-economic effects of renewable energy deployment at the regional level in the EU and subsequently identifies factors that are conducive to an equitable energy transition. As part of the report, this case study by Ecologic Institute analyzes the role of renewable energy and its socio-economic imparts in the North German region Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The analysis was done for the the Greens/European Free Alliance.

The globalisation of agriculture means that cities are no longer primarily supplied by their surrounding areas. Yet, regional structures can help to make food more sustainable and environmentally friendly. In this podcast, detektor.fm presenter Charlotte Thielmann asks Stephanie Wunder from Ecologic Institute whether regional food is the answer to the problems of the food industry.

Join us on 6 November 2021 at 17:45 CET for this online COP26 Side Event that explores the role of long-term climate strategies in sustainability governance, raising short-term ambition on climate action, ecosystem stewardship and adaptation. The event will be live streamed on YouTube.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are crucial for cities to jointly address the climate and biodiversity crises, while creating quality green jobs and wellbeing for local communities. This COP26 EU Side Event featured different sector practitioners (policy makers, entrepreneurs, international organizations) delivering inspiring presentations and engaging in a panel discussion highlighting a variety of perspectives on key challenges, opportunities, and pathways to mainstream urban NbS and boost local economies.

In the Ecornet Berlin research partnership, five Berlin institutes of transdisciplinary sustainability research were jointly providing impetus for Berlin's transformation. Their annual conference, "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021" brought current research findings into dialogue with experiences from other cities and the voices of Berlin's practitioners and civil society – for a social and ecological capital.

In this COP26 side event, we discussed priorities for the further development of long-term strategies, lessons from strategy formulation and implementation processes in the EU and ASEAN, and prospects for international cooperation. We draw on recent analyses by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), the German Development Institute (DIE / GDI), the EU, including the EU-funded Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) study on the development of LTS in ASEAN and the Climate Recon 2050 platform (CR2050) experiences.

The INTERLACE project, coordinated by Ecologic Institute, has published the "Guidance on Gender, Cultural, and Ethical Considerations" to support inclusive, transparent, and fair stakeholder participation. The document provides practical recommendations and measurable indicators to help project partners integrate gender, cultural, and ethical considerations into their activities.

Are you interested in environmental issues or European policy? Would you like to understand what the European Green Deal is, and how will it impact our lives in the years to come? Then you have come to the right place. On the Green Deal – Big Deal website you can find all episodes of our podcast, our webinars and additional information about the European Green Deal.