The meeting of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Municipal Solid Waste Initiative, from 10 to 11 October 2013 in Vienna, brought together participating cities and initiative partners to strengthen international action to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) from municipal solid waste. The CCAC Initiative fosters peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges, provides training opportunities, and continues to build a supportive global network of cities taking action on SLCPs. The major objective for this meeting was developing plans for direct and on-the-ground action that the CCAC and new participating cities can carry out jointly through 2014.

Russel, Duncan et al. 2013: A BASE Project Analysis of EU Member State Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Comparing Approaches and Drawing Lessons. Science for the Environment. Mapping Knowledge Needs for Future Horizons. Aarhus: Aarhus University, DCE-Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, 38.

Pedersen, Anders Branth et al. 2013: Coherent Policy Instruments for Climate Change Adaptation? Science for the Environment. Mapping Knowledge Needs for Future Horizons. Aarhus: Aarhus University, DCE-Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, 101.

Weiland, Sabine et al. 2013: Criteria for Evaluating Climate Adaptation Measures: A Meta-Analysis. Science for the Environment. Mapping Knowledge Needs for Future Horizons. Aarhus: Aarhus University, DCE-Danish Centre for Environment and Energy, 102.

Climate change policy, shale gas and oil, trade, and the advancement of renewables are highly current topics for the transatlantic exchange of best practices and ideas. The mission of the ELEEP Network is to foster transatlantic exchange and discourse. With this conference, the ELEEP Network convened a vital contribution to transatlantic exchange on these energy and climate topics.

Researchers of the project "GLOBALANDS – Global Land Use and Sustainability" have published a comprehensive governance screening analyzing the most relevant international policies with a high impact on global sustainable land use. The report further identifies current "windows of opportunity" to strengthen sustainable land use through international policies. The work was carried out by Ecologic Institute and the Öko-Institut, led by Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute. The discussion paper is available for download.

Ecologic Institute and BIO IS were commissioned by the European Parliament to investigate the potential impacts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on the EU's environmental and food safety policies and the EU's right to regulate. TTIP is currently being negotiated between the US and the EU. The study provides recommendations regarding the role of the European Parliament in the negotiation of TTIP. The study is available for download.

Recognizing that there is an economic rationale for climate change adaptation, the ECONADAPT project set out to advance the knowledge and evidence base on the economics of adaptation and to develop practical material to support decision making processes. ECONADAPT applied adaptation economics in several decision making scenarios that could require economic information including risk management, project appraisal, impact assessments and planning processes. Throughout the project innovative methods were co-developed and tested in a participative way with diverse stakeholders engaged in adaptation policy at multiple governance scales. Ecologic Institute designed and developed the project's website which presents the resources, case studies and the latest project news.

The objective of the DYNAMIX project is to identify policy mixes to absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource use and its associated environmental impacts. This study by Ecologic Institute's Katharina Umpfenbach serves to clarify the shared key assumptions that are used throughout the project and ensure their consistent application. It goes on to present a framework for assessing the effectiveness, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of EU policy mixes aimed at achieving absolute decoupling. The study is available for download.

Cassen, Christophe et al. 2013: Deliverable 1.2 – Report on Global and Macroregional Key Trends and Scenarios. SMASH, Paris.

Recent years have shown a boom of urban gardening initiatives in Berlin. Among the core motivations of many gardeners has been the wish to actively experience and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Within the European FP7 research project SOLINSA the Ecologic Institute conducted a case study about urban gardening initiatives in Berlin. The study, authored by Stephanie Wunder, analyses the role that sustainability plays among other motivations in these initiatives, identifies success factors and barriers and eventually draws conclusions about the transferability of experiences to other regions. The study and a poster presentation are available for download.

Despite the legislation in place and the growing awareness of the need for full cost recovery and incentive pricing in the European water sector, Member States have not yet achieved the objective of integrating these key principles into their water policy. Through a comparative analysis of water pricing schemes and governance structures across selected European countries, a recent study in which Ecologic Institute participated provides practical information on the implementation of the key principles under Article 9 of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The study is available for download.