Environmental Law | Ecologic Institute: Science and Policy for a Sustainable World

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Presentation

Climate Law Conference 2011

TimeLoc

23 June 2011

London

United Kingdom

Michael Mehling, LLM

The latest two climate summits - in Copenhagen in 2009 and Cancún in 2010 - have left critical questions unanswered: it remains unclear how to fund pledged climate finance commitments to developing countries, and there still is no effective follow-up regime for the Kyoto Protocol.

"Future Prospects for Climate Finance and the Carbon Market: A Legal Perspective" was the topic of a conference which was chaired by Michael Mehling, President of Ecologic Institute, Washington DC. Organized by the legal publisher Lexxion, the conference took place on 26 June 2011 at King's College inRead more

Project

Biodiversity

Climate

International Development

Transatlantic Program

International Regulatory Framework for Geoengineering

June 2011 to August 2011

The Ecologic Institute conducts a study on gaps in the international regulatory framework on geoengineering for the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The study is mandated by Decision X/33 of the CBD COP10, which adopted a so-called "moratorium" on geoengineering. Ecologic Institute analyses from a legal and governance perspective which existing international legal rules are applicable to geoengineering. The study develops criteria for assessing gaps in the regulatory framework and for an appropriate governance of geoengineering.

GeoengineeringRead more

Presentation

Panel discussion

Climate

Environmental Law

Merging Climate Efforts: Inside or Outside the UN System?

TimeLoc

9 December 2010

Cancún

Mexico

Michael Mehling, LLM

Regardless of the outcome in Cancun, the Post-2012 landscape will look substantially different than originally envisioned, with the potential emergence, or re-emergence, of national and sub-national programs. Michael Mehling joined a panel discussion on what this landscape may look like, examining trading blocs, linking of regional programs, and how these initiatives might eventually feed into international initiatives.Read more

Publication

Lessons for Cancun: Why biodiversity negotiations at Nagoya succeeded where Copenhagen failed

In this article, the online edition of IP Global, Germany's leading foreign policy magazine, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Senior Policy Advisor of Ecologic Institute, looks at the outcomes of the COP 10 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) in Nagoya, Japan, and the reasons behind them. His analysis points to opportunities on the road ahead for the international climate negotiations beyond the UNFCCC COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of 2010.Read more

Publication

Transatlantic Program

Der Rechtliche Rahmen von Geo-Engineering – Wer darf am Thermostat drehen?

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.Read more

Event

Geoengineering and the Freedom of Research

TimeLoc

16 February 2010

Berlin

Germany

Speaker

Lee Lane

An Ecologic Dinner Dialogue featuring Lee Lane, Resident Fellow and Co-Director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Geoengineering Project, was held in Berlin on 16 February 2010. Following Lee Lane’s introductory speech, participants discussed the technical, political, sociological and legal aspects of geoengineering and the way in which future research...Read more

Publication

Book Section

Biodiversity

Economics

International Development

Global Environment

Environmental Law

Ecologic Legal

Sharing the Benefits of Using Traditionally Cultured Genetic Resources Fairly

The sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources between the traditional users and cultivators of such resources and those that wish to use them for commercial or research purposes is a major issue under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In this book chapter Christiane Gerstetter of Ecologic Legal develops recommendations for provider countries on how to implement the CBD requirement that benefits should be shared fairly and equitably.Read more

Publication

Governing Water – International Law Development – The Principle of Subsidiarity

In this book chapter, R. Andreas Kraemer from Ecologic Institute addresses the governance of water and the EU’s Water Framework Directive, focusing mainly on subsidiarity applied to water policy. He describes the conflict arising from a territorial and a bio-regional perspective on the subject and the management of this conflict through the principle of subsidiarity. The chapter features an outline of the Water Framework Directive’s origin and its core ideas, illustrates approaches of water management using examples, including one from the Danube River region, and a number of hydrological maps and gives an outlook to further developments of the water governance area.Read more

Project

Implementation and development of international environmental law

May 2009 to November 2010

In this project, Ecologic Institute provides legal expertise and support to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety on current issues of international environmental law. Ecologic’s input includes legal opinions and drafting as well as developing and assessing options for and during international negotiations. The project’s objective is to enhance the implementation of the Ministry’s positions at the multilateral and bilateral level.

International environmental law is currently in a phase of consolidation.Read more

Event

Transatlantic Program

Geoengineering and the Governance of International Spaces

TimeLoc

22 April 2009

Washington, DC

United States

Speaker

Paul Berkman

Ralph Czarnecki

There is growing interest in the idea of geoengineering, the purposeful and large-scale modification of the natural environment, especially since the article in Foreign Affairs "The Geoengineering Option" by David Victor and others. Jointly with the Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces, Ecologic Institute held this Transatlantic Luncheon in Washington DC on 22 April 2009. Guests of honour were Paul Berkman, Scott Polar Institute, University of Cambridge, and Ralph Czarnecki, Ecologic Institute.