The CLEVER Cities Guidance online platform developed by Ecologic Institute features insights, tools, indicators and lessons learned about nature-based solutions (NBS) emerging out of the CLEVER Cities project and its nine partner cities. Filling a gap in available resources, the Guidance focuses on (1) policy and planning strategies, (2) how to generate and measure social impacts of NBS, and (3) approaches for co-creation and engaging stakeholders.

The CLEVER Cities project's final conference "Nature in the City – Advancing social impact through nature-based solutions (NBS)" was held on 26 and 27 September 2023. McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, moderated the session "Putting Theory into Practice: Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions into Policy". The session explored the fundamental question: How can we integrate NBS into the fabric of urban policy and governance to bridge the gap between theory and action?

This report provides an independent, systematic analysis of the structures, activities, and impacts of Germany’s Energy, Climate, Development, and Raw Materials Partnerships (ECDRPs). A particular focus lies on the partnerships with countries of the Global South. Based on the analysis, the report provides recommendations for the development of Germany’s partnerships by answering the central question: How can Germany's ECDRPs be made as impactful as possible and more transformative for a resilient transition towards climate neutrality in Germany and its partner countries?

Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute, presented two case studies on German climate change acts at workshops in Beijing, and discussed with Chinese experts from governmental and municipal departments and universities on Chinese and German climate legislation. In addition, he held a lecture on the German Federal Climate Change Act at the Law Faculty of Beihang University and participated in a discussion on potential areas for future cooperation at the Center for German Studies of the University.

This paper makes a proposal for how future EU agricultural policy and particularly funding structures should evolve to better reflect sustainability challenges whilst supporting farmers and other land managers in a transition that also ensures viable businesses and vibrant rural areas. This is intended as a contribution to a wider debate on the future of EU food systems.

This briefing, co-authored by Raffaele Piria (Ecologic Institute), analyzes the contents of the two Commission Delegated Regulations (CDR, also known as delegated acts) adopted by the European Commission on 10 February 2023 and entered in force in June 2023: CDR 2023/1184 contains detailed rules on the conditions under which electricity used to produce hydrogen may be counted as fully renewable according to European Union (EU) law; CDR 2023/1185specifies a methodology to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings from renewable fuels based on hydrogen (so-called renewable fuels of non-biological origin, RFNBOs) and for recycled carbon fuels (RCFs).

As competition for, and interest in, use of ocean space increases, a need for management arises to optimize activity in marine areas. This policy brief provides a comprehensive consideration of the economic efficiency of marine multi-use (MU) by weighing the pros and cons of individual use options against potential MU combinations.

This year's biggest European peatland symposium will examine the scientific, management and policy aspects of peatland restoration and conservation. Register now if you want to be part of the "Power to the Peatlands" conference in September 2023 (Belgium).

National climate framework laws have become a common approach for establishing the governance machinery required to tackle the transition to a climate neutral society. This memo serves as a brief update on the status and substance of such laws in Europe as of summer 2023, with a focus on framework laws aimed at achieving long-term transformational change.

Kemper, Melanie 2023: MoorNet: Concept for Website and Database. Berlin, unpublished.

The complex interactions between nature, climate change, and mental health are being increasingly explored amid increasing environmental challenges facing society. This infographic summarizes the key findings of the report "The Nature – Climate Change – Mental Health Nexus. A literature review". It visualizes these connections, focusing on (1) how mental health is affected by the effects of a changing climate in Europe, and (2) how green spaces and nature-based solutions can play a role in reducing and treating those negative effects.

The complex interactions between nature, climate change, and mental health are being increasingly explored amid increasing environmental challenges facing society. This study explores these connections, focusing on (1) how mental health is affected by the effects of a changing climate in Europe, and (2) how green spaces and nature-based solutions can play a role in reducing and treating those negative effects. The research uncovers the transformative power of promoting a harmonious relationship with the natural world to nurture our collective ecological and social resilience.

This document outlines the development and structure of the EU Procedural Governance Inventory created within the scope of Work Package 5.2 of the 4i-TRACTION project. The inventory's objective is to present a list of the most important frameworks, institutions, and instruments that are relevant to procedural climate governance in the EU.

This study aims to contribute to the further development of the Member States' reporting to the EU with regard to the National Energy and Climate Change Plans (NECPs), especially with regard to the national progress reports, the NECP updates and a possible revision of the Governance Regulation. The authors developed an in-depth understanding of the selected PaMs and the methodological and systemic uncertainties involved in their ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment.

The latest evaluation of the innovative climate protection projects for the period 2020 to 2021 is now available. During this evaluation period, the projects accomplished an additional 0.41 million metric tonnes of CO2 reductions, alongside notably higher indirect reductions. The projects were able to trigger transformation by empowering their target groups to question, change and replace prevailing structures, established practices and techniques. At the same time, their predominantly national coverage as well as visibility, comprehensibility and connectivity for the target group and imitators contributed to a high transformational outcome.