Ecologic Legal | Ecologic Institute: Science and Policy for a Sustainable World

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Project

Learning from Neighbours – Climate Protection Laws in Europe

February 2019 to May 2019

In this project, Ecologic Institute created a 40-page overview of climate protection laws in Europe and their potential contribution to the discussion of a German climate protection law. The overview addresses the interested public through clear language with as few technical terms as possible. The overview is available for download.Read more

Project

Potential of Other Legal Areas to Achieve the Objectives of the Water Framework Directive

February 2019 to June 2020

Ecologic Institute prepares a study for the German Environment Agency by the beginning of 2020, identifying legal norms beyond water law that can contribute more strongly to effective implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The study is funded under the Environmental Research Plan.Read more

Project

Climate Change Laws of Germany's Federal States

January 2019 to March 2019

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.Read more

Project

Further Development of the European Emission Trading Directive

October 2018 to February 2020

Ecologic Institute is working with Öko-Institut and Prof. Dr. Klinski on a project for the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) relating to constitutional, European law and state aid issues for the development of the European Emission Trading Directive. Ecologic Institute's contribution focusses on the interactions of the ETS Directive and further EU legislative acts with a potential Federal Climate Change Act.Read more

Event

Workshop

Global Environment

Ecologic Legal

Environmental Criminal Law: Status quo and Further Development

TimeLoc

11 September 2018

Berlin

Germany

Environmental crime has diverse appearances and impacts. The ecological consequences range from the destruction of forests to the pollution of water, soil, and air and even to species extinction. Moreover, many types of environmental crime also affect human health, and organised forms of environmental crime undermine state structures. Environmental crime is increasingly being discussed again at international and EU level. However, it is always emphasised that there is a lack of a robust database and thus also a gap in the knowledge base.Read more

Project

Arctic

Coastal + Marine

Ecologic Legal

Ethics Advisor for the "Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium" (ARICE)

September 2018 to December 2021

Ecologic Institute supports the Horizon 2020 project "Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium” (ARICE) with Arne Riedel as an Ehics advisor.Read more

Publication

Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform

potential governance arrangements under the Paris Agreement

The Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIP Platform) was established in Paris in 2015, but its operationalization is still ongoing. The LCIP Platform could provide an important next step towards a nuanced inclusion of specific non-Party stakeholders in the UNFCCC process. Based on the negotiation process for the Platform and on current modes of participation of non-Party stakeholders, this report develops a toolkit of governance elements for the Platform. The report, written by Arne Riedel and Ralph Bodle, both of Ecologic Institute, is available for download.Read more

Publication

A Climate Law for Europe

Making the Paris Agreement Real

The EU's current rules on climate action are comprehensive and detailed. However, they lack many of these features. In this sense, the existing EU acquis falls short of what countries and regions have adopted. It also falls short of what the full implementation of the Paris Agreement implies. The Regulation on Governance for the Energy Union and Climate Action addresses a number of existing shortcomings. It is a strong foundation for a Climate Law for Europe. However, gaps remain that should be filled in a reform. These are the main findings of a recently updated paper of Ecologic Institute, which is available for download.Read more

Publication

Book Section

Trade

Ecologic Legal

Substance and Style – How the WTO Adjudicators Legitimize their Decisions

The dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is one of the most active international courts. How the WTO's adjudicators decide cases is the topic of a book chapter authored by Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute. The book, entiteld "The Judicialization of International Law: A Mixed Blessing?" is edited by Andreas Follesdal and Geir Ulfstein and published by Oxford University Press. It deals with the influence of decisions by international courts on international law.Read more

Publication

Book Section

Soil

Ecologic Legal

Implementing Land Degradation Neutrality at National Level

Legal Instruments in Germany

In this chapter Ecologic Institute's Dr. Ralph Bodle analyses the legal instruments and regulatory approaches in German law for achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN). Section 1 outlines the conceptual components of LDN that the law has to address: preventing degradation, restoring degraded land, offsetting degradation at project level and land-use planning and management. Section 2 analyses which legal mechanisms German law provides to address all conceptual components of LDN. The assessment and conclusion in Sect. 3 argue that despite a range of legal provisions and instruments in German law that protect soil, the absence of an overarching holistic concept is a fundamental shortcoming also with regard to LDN.Read more