In their policy paper "International Trade Policy in the Context of Climate Change Imperatives" for the Committee on International Trade, Christiane Gerstetter, Michael Mehling and Tanja Srebotnjak examine the relationship between trade and climate change as well as the potential of trade and trade policies to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

<p>&#13; <strong>We celebrate 15 years of Ecologic Institute in Berlin:</strong><br />&#13; 15 years of enthusiasm in science and policy, in dialogue, with ideas, and the will to shape the future. For a better environment.</p>&#13;

Environmental policy-makers and stakeholders from the non-governmental, academic and private sectors convened in The Hague, The Netherlands from 26 July to 6 August 2010 as part of the second ICAP Summer School for Emerging and Developing Countries. The intensive two-week training event, designed and organised by the Ecologic Institute on behalf of and in collaboration with the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP), provided insights into the complexities of emissions trading systems to enable participants' countries to harmonise their environmental policies for full participation in a future global carbon market.

For some, geo-engineering (the large-scale alteration of the Earth's physical or bio-chemical characteristics) is a "plan B" to deal with climate change. The German policy journal "Politische Ökologie" dedicated a recent issue (no. 120) to this topic. Ralph Bodle and R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute put the spotlight on the existing and desirable international legal framework.

The first Smart Energy Dialog, held on 9 June 2010 in Berlin, established a forum for discussion on the co-transformation of the energy and transport sectors. Sixty European and American experts from the areas of industry, research and policy-making came together at the Hertie School of Governance to discuss a roadmap towards energy security, energy efficiency and the decarbonisation of our economies.

As part of the Transatlantic Climate Bridge, an informational trip for a group of political decision makers and entrepreneurs from the southern United States took place from 6 to 12 June 2010. The programme informed the participants about job creation in a “green” economy by using Germany as an example. In so doing, the main challenges and opportunities of a progressive climate and energy policy were presented. In addition to the focus on law making and political factors, other important aspects of the programme were the information exchange with experts in this field and the identification of best practice examples. The tour was organized and implemented by the Ecologic Institute.

This year, Ecologic Institute turns 15. Since its founding, Ecologic Institute has built a reputation for excellence in transdisciplinary and policy-relevant research. As an environmental think tank, Ecologic Institute uses its extensive project experience and network of partners on both sides of the Atlantic to address a broad range of environmental challenges.

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans offer a unique insight into the energy policy context of each EU Member State. For a comparative analysis of six European action plans, Katharina Umpfenbach and Stephan Sina contributed a review of Germany's action plan.

The climate summit 2010 in Cancún has mostly been considered a success. The revival of multilateralism has been prized as the most important outcome. However, it remains that the most difficult decisions, were postponed in Cancún. Michael Mehling of Ecologic Institute outlines the importance of the results for transatlantic relations. The article is available for download.

A new publication in the journal "Ecological Indicators" by Tanja Srebotnjak, from Ecologic Institute, and Peter Hardi, from the Central European University in Hungary, examines the potentials for sustainable bioenergy production in Bulgaria, Romania and the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. The study draws on official statistics and modeling results and concludes that bioenergy potentials are highest in Bulgaria, Romania, and Kazakhstan but depend on several factors including crop choice, climatic conditions, availability of suitable land, and the institutional and legal infrastructure.

In his 2010 State of the Union address, President Obama declared the need for "serious investments in clean energy" because "the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy". In a new paper funded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States under the Transatlantic Climate Bridge initiative, authors from the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC and Berlin identify investment needs and policy incentives required to achieve this transition to a clean energy economy.

"Latin America and the Caribbean; A Biodiversity Superpower" is an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Marlon Flores, Senior Policy Advisor at Ecologic Institute, contributed the chapter on "Protected Areas" to the initiative's report "Importance of Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Economic Growth and Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Economic Valuation of Ecosystems".

Grünig, Max; Ian Skinner; Mary Ann Kong 2010: Study on Consumer Information on Fuel Economy and CO2 Emissions of New Passenger Cars. Implementation of the Directive 1999/94/EC. Brussels.