This brochure provides a general survey and overview of the range of topics addressed by the Ecologic Institute. It includes examples of relevant events and projects, and key financial information. The brochure captures the essence of the Ecologic Institute at a crucial time in our development. The past years have brought consistent growth, increasing diversification, strong management, and the establishment of a number of offices and subsidiaries.

The final symposium of the PICCMAT project (Policy Incentives for Climate Change Mitigation Agricultural Techniques) on 28 October 2008 in Brussels generated high interest among stakeholders. The agricultural sector will be under increased pressure in the future to contribute to the realization of ambitious climate change mitigation targets. Almost 90 participants from the farming, policy and scientific communities engaged in discussions on potential ways forward. The PICCMAT policy recommendations are available for download.

This report, written as part of the Project PICCMAT (Policy Incentives for Climate Change Mitigation Agricultural Techniques), provides information on different mitigation practices and identifies priorities for policy action. Additionally, it describes current rural development, introducing options for the future European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The report is available for download.

Looking at the Amudarya river basin in Central Asia, Ecologic Institute's Nicole Kranz, Holger Gerdes and Cornelius Laaser elaborate in this article on how the NeWater project assists with the development of new water governance tools in transboundary river basins. The article was published in the Fall 2008 issue of Schlossplatz³ by the Hertie School of Governance.

<p>On 11 and 12 September 2008 in Berlin, Germany, Arctic TRANSFORM held an Expert Workshop, which brought together more than 50 experts on Arctic policy in the areas of environmental governance, indigenous peoples, hydrocarbons, shipping, and fisheries. The workshop was designed to examine policy options for confronting the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic. The workshop synthesis report summarises the key policy insights that emerged during the workshop. Emphasis is placed on cross-sectoral synergies, stakeholder participation, and governance options in the Arctic.</p>&#13;

This paper presents an overview of the existing institutional and legal framework relevant to environmental governance, as well as formal and informal governance structures in the Arctic marine area. It highlights the complexity of approaches applicable at the local, regional and international scales, rather than identifying gaps in governance at the sectoral scale. The background paper is available for download.

This background paper, prepared by the Arctic Centre in September 2008 as part of the Arctic TRANSFORM project addresses the magnitude of current oil and gas activities in the offshore Arctic and outlines the potential environmental, social and economic consequences of the offshore hydrocarbon activities. It examines the international legal framework for offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic, including transboundary environmental assessment of oil and gas activities and addresses the current policy context in offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic.

No international regime operates in complete isolation from other regimes and the wider body of international law. Conflicts and tensions, but also potential synergies, are inevitable consequences of regime coexistence. Such interactions are particularly apparent in the case of the climate regime, which is analysed in this article in relation to the international law on biodiversity protection and free trade.

The article by Dr. Camilla Bausch and Jonathan Donehower analyses the flexible mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol used by the international community to fight rising carbon emissions. The most prominent example of regional implementation of emissions trading, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), is presented in detail with an outlook on potential future improvements.

The Water Framework Directive acts as a driver for integrated water management in EU member states. In this paper, Eleftheria Kampa, Fellow at Ecologic, and Hans Bressers, Professor at the University of Twente, use a conceptual framework from institutional resource regime theory to characterize and explain the development of the Greek national water regime in terms of integration. The article was published in the Journal "Water Policy" 10/5.

In a Discussion Paper for the German Development Institute (DIE), Sascha Müller-Kraenner analyses the energy-related foreign policies of China and India, both "anchor countries" with fast-growing economies. Their quest for energy security as well as climate policy have become defining elements of both countries' foreign policies, a fact that the EU and the US must respond to.

Internationally, the European Union has been acknowledged as a forerunner in the adoption and implementation of sustainable energy and climate policies. But despite remarkable successes, the EU has also encountered serious difficulties on its way – yielding important learning experiences. In their reflection on "Climate and Energy – Lessons Learned: The European Perspective", Michael Mehling and Dr. Camilla Bausch outline the history and present of climate policy efforts in Europe, and identify the most important lessons that can be drawn from the European experience.

Raggamby, Anneke von and Olympia Papadopoulou 2008: "A Review of Dissemination Activities in the Duration of the Project", in: GEM-CON-BIO. Governance and Ecosystems Management for the Conservation of Biodiversity. Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 253-255.