For more than a quarter century, cutting-edge professionals in Germany and the United States have laid the foundation for a fundamental transformation of the financial industry. Due to their foresight and creativity, the world economy is poised to transition from a fossil fuel-oriented past to a sustainable, clean energy future. Several questions, however, still require answers. How can new opportunities be dynamically leveraged? What new risks are involved and how can they be managed? How best can ESG and sustainability indicators be quantified and integrated into the decision making process? And how do we move forward confidently amidst regulatory and policy uncertainty? Our goal was to determine what questions we should be asking as we set the stage for further research and dialogue, putting those of us committed to protecting the environment and the expansion of prosperity in position to create a dynamic and sustainable future.

Chiabai, Aline; Alistair Hunt; Ibon Galarraga et. al. (2015). Using Cost and Benefits to Assess Adaptation Options. ECONADAPT Deliverable 3.1A.

The briefing "Supporting delivery of climate ambition through the Energy Union: What is needed from Member States' National Energy Plans?" presents key messages from three research papers that have considered the options for reforming planning and reporting, and related issues that are fundamental to the development of credible governance arrangements for the Energy Union.

The European Commission's "better regulation" agenda requires that new legislative proposals be accompanied by an evaluation of already existing relevant legislation. This study therefore evaluates the EU Emissions Trading Directive in light of potential changes to it within Europe's overall Climate and Energy Package 2030. The report uses a systematic approach to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added value of the EU ETS Directive. The study is available for download.

A group of 12 decision makers from the Midwest in the USA came to Germany from 15 until 21 November 2015 in order to explore and discuss German energy policy and aspects of structural change in former industrial and coal regions. Participants were able to speak with representatives from ministries, (state) parliaments, think tanks and businesses in Berlin, Cologne and Düsseldorf.

In order to support businesses in improving their resource efficiency, Member States use a variety of approaches, ranging from voluntary to regulatory measures. This study assesses the scope of application of ten relevant measures and provides good practice cases across Member States. Through data gathering on Member State level, this study found a wide range of successful examples of measures, varying by country and region. A number of lessons learnt can be drawn from their application; these are useful for the design of support measures in other Member States. The study is available for download.

How can industrialised nations, regions and cities mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in various economic sectors? At the international workshop “Decarbonisation – 100 % Renewable Energy and More”, decarbonisation approaches and strategies pursued in Europe on different political levels were showcased, discussed and reviewed with regard to their cross-border transferability. It showcased different examples from across the EU, highlighting specific national and city level strategies and discussed their respective commonalities and differences with an expert audience. The high-level workshop was organized by the German Federal Environment Agency with support of Ecologic Institute.

The efficient implementation of energy efficiency measures was a central challenge in European energy policy. The multEE project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program, addressed this issue by developing innovative monitoring and verification (M&V) systems and improving vertical coordination between administrative levels. These measures ensured better alignment of national and local energy efficiency plans and enabled more precise assessment of their effectiveness. This report described the project, its objectives, and the methods applied.

Boteler, Benjamin et. al. 2015: Dissemination Plan – Strategy for disseminating AQUACROSS results and findings. Deliverable D1.1. Berlin, unpublished.

On invitation of the Rock Environment and Energy Institute Susanne Langsdorf, Fellow at Ecologic Institute, took part in an "Energy Transformation Roundtable Discussion" in Beijing on November 3rd 2015. At the roundtable a group of international experts presented and discussed different "roadmaps" to an energy transition. Susanne Langsdorf presented the energy transition ("Energiewende") in Germany.

At the International Symposium on COP21, Susanne Langsdorf spoke about the role non-state actors can play in international climate negotiations, with a focus on cities. While by definition non-state actors cannot be subject of international law; the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, the "Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action" and activities such as the "non-state actor zone for climate action" provide new options for non-state actors to play a role in the climate negotiations. The presentation "Cities and Climate Change in the context of COP21" is available for download.

In order to support businesses in improving their resource efficiency, EU Member States use a variety of policy measures. This infographic illustrates the scope of application of ten selected policy measures taken by 28 EU countries. It shows the major differences in the extent of implementation between the Member States, as well as between the individual measures. The infographic was created for the final report of the project "A Framework for Member States to Support Business in Improving its Resource Efficiency".

The present briefing provides an overview of the history of the plant, and of the legal measures taken to address the company's failure to comply with applicable environmental legislation, as well as the environmental, economic and health impacts of the lack of environmental compliance. The briefing is available for download.

An innovative 'Toolbox', aimed to help farmers achieve a good balance between crop productivity, soil health and soil carbon storage, has been developed as a result of a major EU research project called SmartSOIL. The SmartSOIL toolbox is an interactive platform which will show advisers and farmers potential changes in yield and soil organic carbon content which can result from implementing these practices. The toolbox is available online.

The German Federal Agency of Environment (UBA) published a synthesis report in October 2015. The report summarises major findings of the research and discussions undertaken in the project "Global Land Use and Sustainability (GLOBALANDS)", in which the Ecologic Institute played a major role. The synthesis report describes future pathways towards global sustainable land use and presents recommendations for German policy. The report ends with remaining questions, which need further investigation and discussion. It is available for download.