On 29 April 2015, Ecologic Institute US and the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law at New York University School of Law hosted a discussion about the German Energiewende (Energy Transition). The event provided an opportunity for participants to speak with experts with first-hand insight into the Energiewende and the lessons it may hold for policymakers in New York State, currently pursuing their own comprehensive energy reforms. A summary and a video of the discussion are available for download.
The American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at Johns Hopkins University released a report detailing the future of power in a post-carbon society. Max Grünig, from Ecologic Institute co-authored the report with David Livingston. This Policy Report offers German and American perspectives on the emerging fuel challenges in the transportation sector and the importance of post-carbon cities. It is an example of AICGS' commitment to comparing and contrasting the interests and policies of Germany and the United States in an effort to identify common policy challenges, choices and opportunities. The report is available for download.
The upcoming negotiations in Paris on the future global climate regime were the topic of the 30th Cairo Climate Talks in Egypt. Top level participants from the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, the French and German Embassies and Ecologic Institute’s own Dr. Camilla Bausch provided varying perspectives on the challenges and opportunities regarding the upcoming 21st Conference of Parties (COP21). Dr. Khaled Fahmy, Egyptian Minister of the Environment, offered critical insights into the current framework in Egypt, while German Ambassador Hansjörg Haber and French Ambassador André Parant served as hosts for the evening discussion.
Ecologic Institute, in cooperation with the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA), organized and hosted an intensive three-day training course for PhD students from 27 to 29 April 2015 in Dessau and Berlin (Germany), entitled "Policy and Regulation of Pollutants in the Environment". The training was part of the CAPACITIE project, one of the prestigious Marie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITNs) funded by the European Commission, which focuses on pollution in urban environments. The presenters held talks focusing on local (city level), national, and EU-level efforts addressing environmental pollution and covered regulatory approaches, methodological tools and practical initiatives. The presentations are available for download.
This study collects and analyses the information from the 28 Member States and their regions and cities on the implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats Directive and management of Natura 2000. Desk-based research including a review of case law were employed to gather information on and analyse the Directives. The study is available for download.
The first Trade Night, held at Ecologic Institute, focused on the environment-related provisions of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a bilateral trade and investment agreement negotiated between Canada and the EU. Trade Nights are a regular series of events convened by Ecologic Institute that provide a forum for the trade community in Berlin to discuss current trade policy issues in an informal setting.
Energy security was the topic of a lively dialogue during the 30th German Canadian Conference in Brussels (Belgium). Representing countries with very different energy and climate policy, Michael Keenan, Associate Deputy Minister of National Resources Canada, and Dr. Camilla Bausch, Director of Ecologic Institute, outlined important aspects of their respective national debate before engaging in an exchange with the high-level participants.
The compatibility of national measures to support renewable energy schemes with international trade and investment law was the topic of a presentation by Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow, Ecologic Legal. The presentation was part of the Annual Conference on European Environmental Law of the Academy of European Law at Trier (Germany). The presentation slides are available for download.
Do you need a quick overview of climate targets in the EU? Or have you wanted to find out about stakeholder perspectives on the EU Emissions Trading System? The Climate Policy Info Hub gives the answers and provides insights on consequences of possible climate policy directions.
The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) established a framework for promoting renewable energy development in all sectors, including binding national renewable energy targets and a mandatory target of 10% for all Member States for renewable energy use in transport. Commissioned by DG Energy, a consortium composed of CE Delft, Ricardo-AEA, Ecologic Institute, E-Bridge and REKK carried out an assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency so far of measures and actions laid down in the Directive. Stephan Sina, Christine Lucha, Andreas Prahl and Lenat Donat contributed to the study. The study is available for download.
The BACC II (Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea basin) is an updated assessment of ongoing climate variations in the Baltic Basin for the period 2009-2014. The book is an update of the first BACC assessment, published in 2008, and offers new and updated scientific findings in regional climate research for the Baltic Sea basin. The evidence collected and presented in BACC II shows that the regional climate has already started to change and this is expected to continue. Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute is co-author of the article 'Climate Science and Communication for the Baltic Sea Region'. BACC II is a project of the Baltic Earth research network and contributes to the World Climate Research Programme.
Is your drinking water clean? Is it safe to drink? In the last two decades, the presence of new chemical compounds called emerging pollutants has been detected in wastewater, aquatic environments, and drinking water. Emerging pollutants result from a variety of human processes and do not break down easily and therefore accumulate in our environment. The animation illustrates what emerging pollutants are, how they enter water sources, and what role individuals can take in improving the quality of their drinking water. Watch the animation, and please share it!
This report aims to provide an understanding of the costs of degradation due to shipping in the Baltic Sea. To do this, the report provides an in-depth look at the pressures created, changes to state and health, and ultimately how this does or could impact human well being.
The aim of this report is to create a framework to understand and ultimately assess the linkages from the drivers of shipping in the Baltic Sea to its effects on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. Available Drivers Pressures State Impact Response (DPSIR) frameworks are analysed and adapted to shipping in the Baltic Sea. The developed DPSIR framework will be operationalised in further steps using available indicators. An adapted DPSIR framework and especially the reviewed indicators will be used to assess potential changes to ecosystem services compared to Business As Usual (BAU) and an integrated assessment and policy analysis to reduce pressures from shipping in the Baltic Sea.
The objective of this report is to provide a socio-economic assessment for the evaluation of policy options that have the potential to reduce environmental pressures from shipping in the Baltic Sea and move towards policy objectives especially on EU and global level. The report describes the assessment of 20 selected policy options that focus on different environmental pressures from shipping.