From Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 December 2024, the Ariadne project will host a three-day event consisting of a series of workshops and discussion events. We look forward to seeing you there, and invite you to block these days in your agenda – and join us from 9-11 December in Brussels.
The event offered a collaborative platform for representatives from diverse sectors including industry, business, civil society, and policy. At this one-day workshop, the research team presented a stocktake of the latest research on sectoral and macro-economic climate risks and impacts, costs and benefits and potential for adaptation.
In a three-day series of events in Brussels from 5 to 7 December 2023, partners from the Kopernikus project Ariadne present important findings from their work that are relevant for the further development of EU climate and energy policy. They discuss these with representatives from political institutions, science, civil society and business. Participants can look forward to a varied program with workshops on current topics such as the future electricity market design, challenges of the energy transition, improvement of the EU governance mechanism, the role of household surveys in climate policy or the integration of negative emissions into the ETS.
The EU Commission is planning an initiative on tackling the issue of non-intentional inputs of microplastics into the environment. The areas of textile fibres, tire abrasion, and pellet loss are specifically discussed at the EU level as part of the initiative.
To support the development and application of emissions trading systems in the region, from 27 February to 3 March 2023, the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) will convene an online Seminar, focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. As an entry-level training, the one-week Seminar will introduce participants to the basic concepts and key elements of emissions trading.
In this webinar session, the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) presented its latest report "Offset Use Across Emissions Trading Systems", followed by a discussion with an expert panel drawn from policy making, offset project origination, and an offset crediting standard. Questions discussed included the role that offsets can play in carbon pricing instruments, the benefits and risks of their use, policy solutions to maintain the integrity of the emissions trading system, and implications of offset use for the market for emission allowances.
From 13 to 15 December (1 – 4pm CET), the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) convened a three-day workshop on monitoring, reporting, verification of emissions and the accreditation of verifiers (MRVA) in emissions trading systems (ETS). Participation in the online workshop was open to anyone with an interest in, or professional link to, climate policy and the implementation of MRVA systems for carbon pricing mechanisms. Over 100 participants attended the event from across the globe.
While policymakers are currently mulling over the EU-ETS reform, it is a good time for analysts and scientist to take a step back and discuss the analytical tools used to project the outcome – specifically: the expected, predicted or necessary carbon price(s) towards 2030. To that end, the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Ecologic Institute organize a workshop in Brussels on 30 November 2022.
With the Fit-for-55 package about to be put into law, and the RePowerEU plan adopted in response to the energy crisis, EU climate and energy is undergoing the most profound change in years, getting the EU on track to a post-fossil energy system. In a three-day series of events, partners from the Ariadne research project presented key insights from their work that is relevant for the further development of EU climate and energy policy, and discussed these with representatives from political institutions, academia, civil society and business. The events served to share research insights, to discuss and validate findings and their relevance for EU policy process, and to gather inputs for further research.
The International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) resumed in-person trainings with the 2022 edition of its flagship training activity, the two-week ICAP Summer School on Emissions trading. The training took place in Florence (Italy) from 22 August to 2 September 2022. Participation in the summer school was open to applicants from emerging economies and developing countries. The course was aimed at public officials or stakeholders from the non-governmental, academic and private sectors who are or will be involved in deciding on, designing and implementing carbon pricing mechanisms.
The results of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment" will be presented in a webinar series. The participation in the webinars is free of charge; registration in advance is required.
From 16 to 26 May 2022, the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) will convene a two-week ETS training course to provide basic training on emissions trading in Asian countries. Over two weeks consisting of eight course days, participants will learn the basic concepts and key elements of emissions trading through a mix of presentations from expert speakers and policy practitioners as well as interactive activities. Each session will draw on examples and experiences from existing ETS to explain the main design choices for setting up new ETS and to convey solutions for their implementation.
At the theme day on plastics in the environment on 6 May, children, young people and adults could inform themselves at more than 20 interactive exhibition stands and talk to researchers from all over Germany. In addition to a photo exhibition, a science and poetry slam, improvisation theatre and discussion rounds, participants had the opportunity to get involved in exciting hands-on activities. For example, water samples will be taken directly from the Spree to test for microplastic contamination.
Berlin can look back on an eventful history of the New Social Movements. Numerous Berlin pioneering organizations from that time are still active: Kraut & Rüben, the Schokofabrik, Oktoberdruck, the Regenbogenfabrik and many more. At the same time, many new alternative-economy enterprises are currently emerging in Berlin - the city that is considered a melting pot of alternative economy. But what is new about today's ideas compared to the motives of over 40 years ago? What can those active today learn from the successes and failures of that time? What experiences can, and should they build on? And: What role do changed framework conditions play? What has become possible or impossible today compared to the past?
The 4i-TRACTION Community of Experts Coffee Hour format is one of the stakeholder engagement activities. This dynamic series of Coffee Hours addresses and engages members of the "Community of Experts", a select group of experts with different backgrounds on the "4Is" of the project: Innovation, investment, infrastructure and integration. Each session explored critical issues in EU climate and energy policies, fostering an open and insightful exchange under the Chatham house rule.
With the Fit for 55 package, the European Commission made far-reaching proposals in July 2021 to align the architecture of European climate policy with the goal of climate neutrality. These proposals include the strengthening of the existing emissions trading scheme, the introduction of new emissions trading for transport and buildings, a border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) to protect against carbon leakage and the tightening of regulatory instruments for transport and buildings. However, the proposals raise a number of questions – from distributional effects and acceptance to the consistency of the instruments. In the course of this two-day hybrid event, researchers from the Ariadne consortium discussed these issues with stakeholders and decision-makers at the European level.
In Berlin, a variety of initiatives show how the economy can be different: with more solidarity, more democracy, more ecological and better for all. We discuss why this is not easy, but can be promising. In the sixth edition of Wandelwecker, our morning impulse for a social and ecological metropolis, we discussed these questions with two experts.
From 16 August to 10 September 2021, the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) convened the first ICAP Online ETS Academy. The Academy consisted of four modules (ETS basics, ETS implementation, policy & politics of emissions trading, global & regional action on emissions trading) of one week each. These modules were designed as self-contained learning units, focusing on different aspects of ETS design and implementation, and progressing from basic to intermediate to advanced. Applicants could apply for one, two or three modules. 40-45 carefully selected professionals from the public, nongovernmental, academic and private sectors participated in each module. Participants came from 35 different countries from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. The course offered participants an opportunity to deepen their understanding of ETS design and implementation and provided illustration through hands-on examples, practical experience and case studies.
What innovations are needed to develop a climate-neutral energy system of the future? How can the national and European climate targets be achieved in 2030? What can Germany do to advance the European Green Deal together with the other member states? These and other questions will be the focus of the virtual Copernicus Symposium on 9 and 10 June 2021.
The International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) in cooperation with the Asia Society Policy Institute convened an online Seminar from 22 to 26 March 2021, focusing on Southeast Asian countries. The Seminar was implemented by the Ecologic Institute and ICF as part of the ongoing programme for Training and Capacity Building on Emissions Trading. 35 participants from six Southeast Asian countries attended the seminar, which introduced them to the basic concepts and key elements of emissions trading. Drawing on examples and experiences from existing systems, the Seminar explained the main design choices for setting up an ETS and convey solutions for their implementation.
As a part of the COACCH project, Ecologic Institute, University of Graz and Deltares organized a workshop with stakeholders and interested parties on the topic of "Addressing climate change in European supply chains".
The ICAP online ETS Workshop conducted with focus on Latin America under the theme "Emissions Trading in Latin America: Developments on the Ground, Role for Cooperation" was held virtually from 8 to 10 December 2020, convened by the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) and co-organized by the Ecologic Institute, Get2C and ICF.
Between 15 and 18 September 2020, Ecologic Institute together with ZOE Institute for future-fit economies and other partners convened a "closed-doors" EU online conference on long-term challenges from the COVID-19 crisis for the EU's economic governance and the implementation of the Green Deal.
The final event of the dialogue forum "Wirtschaft macht Klimaschutz" took place on 11 March 2020 in Berlin. Over the past two years, representatives from more than 100 companies have jointly developed ideas, projects and concrete steps to promote climate protection in their companies. Organised in five thematic working groups, the Dialogue Forum has brought together climate protection pioneers among German companies and facilitated exchange of ideas across sector boundaries.
Effective CO2 pricing is crucial to achieve the global climate protection goals. This was the subject of an event that was carried out by the Ecologic Institute as a co-organizer as part of a formal side event at the 25th session of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) in Madrid.
In this EFEX webinar Doug Sims, Director of Strategy and Finance at the Center for Market Innovation (Natural Resources Defense Council), and Quentin Genard, Head of the Brussels Office at E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism), discussed the existing and evolving concepts behind a "green deal" in the US and EU, identified differences and similarities and debated pros and cons. The discussion then shifted to policy details, more specifically the proposed funding mechanisms for a new deal in both the US and EU (or lack thereof). The webinar was moderated by Matthias Duwe, Head, Climate, at Ecologic Institute.
On 15 October 2019 the experts' workshop within the context of the project "Improving Financial Security in the Context of the Environmental Liability Directive (ELD)" will take place in Brussels. The workshop will first offer an overview of the current situation of financial security for ELD liabilities in the Member States. The project team will then present options for financial security, which will be discussed in a World Café session in the afternoon, thus offering a chance for debate and exchange of ideas.
On 10 September 2019, the final conference of the project "Mikroplastik im Wasserkreislauf" (Microplastics in the Water Cycle, MaWi for short) took place in Karlsruhe. The project results were presented and discussed at the event. A poster exhibition was also organized as part of the conference. Some of the posters are available on the event website.
On 26 June 2019, the NaWiKo workshop "Sustainable management in companies through employee integration in corporate sustainability innovations" took place in the facilities of the KUKA Gmbh in Siegen. The aim of the workshop was to discuss findings from research projects dealing with the relevance of the involvement of employees and users in corporate sustainability innovations with company representatives from the manufacturing industry. The goal of the exchange was to discuss the role and the challenges regarding Open Innovation (meaning the involvement of employees and users) for corporate sustainability innovations in terms of whether and under what conditions research findings can be relevant for and applicable to everyday business life.
On 17 June 2019 the workshop "Federal and regional governments in dialogue on sustainable food systems. From individual projects to a holistic strategy?" took place at the EUREF Campus in Berlin with 30 participants. The aim of the event was to discuss how strategies could be developed that not only address the topic of sustainable nutrition in a politically comprehensive way, but which are also based on the numerous good individual initiatives and projects at the federal and regional level.
On 17 June 2019, the NaWiKo workshop "Sustainable management in companies based on the example of bioplastics" took place at the facilities of Bio-Molkerei Söbbeke GmbH, a sustainable creamery, in Gronau near Münster. The aim of the workshop was for company representatives from the packaging and food industry to discuss findings from research projects that dealt with sustainability effects of bioplastics and bio-based materials.
As part of its long-standing cooperation with Duke University, the Ecologic Institute implemented a course on Germany's energy transition (Energiewende), offered to Duke students as part of the Duke in Berlin Summer Program.
On 9 and 10 April 2019, the status conference of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) took place in the Kalkscheune in Berlin. The coordinators of the 20 joint projects funded within the research focus presented their projects and explained first results as well as challenges of their projects. The conference proceedings, presenting the joint projects and cross-cutting topics, are available for download.
This webinar presented findings from two projects on strategies to reach ambitiously low-emission levels in European industry. It looked at technological solutions, but also at strategies such as the reduction of demand and the increase rates of recycling. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.
In June 2017, the EU Commission adopted the new EU One Health Action Plan to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The "One Health" approach which lies at the basis of the Action Plan is centred on an integrative management of health risks; it leaves aside a purely human or veterinary approach in favor of a more holistic one which includes the environment. In this context, the UBA (Umweltbundesamt Deutschland) has prepared a background paper which presents various options for action in the areas of use prevention, entry and disposal of antibiotics. UBA supports the overarching objective of the EU One Health Action Plan, against the background of growing problems with antibiotic resistance, of maintaining the possibility of effective infection treatment in humans and animals.
In this press briefing, the "Coal Reader" is presented. It has been developed by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Wuppertal Institute, and Ecologic Institute. The "Coal Reader" presents options and implications of a phase-out of coal-fired power generation in Germany. It provides facts, explains the pros and cons, and shows the respective scientific background.
The topic of sustainable nutrition is increasingly relevant in political, scientific and media debates. In this context, there are different perspectives and motivations surrounding the topic. Within the project "Wissenschaftliche Koordination der Fördermaßnahme Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften" (NaWiKo), Ecologic Institute will organize a workshop on "Sustainable nutrition systems and sustainable nutrition culture – Action approaches for transformative processes and practices" on 26 September 2018 in Berlin.
How does plastic litter end up in the sea? How much microplastic does our shower scrub contain? Where exactly is the plastic waste in the ocean? What do our rivers have to do with it? And how can I, as an individual living far away from the coast, participate in real research on seas and oceans? These and other questions will be answered in a webinar for teachers and youth group leaders under the title ‘Sustainable environmental education in schools: Plastic waste in German rivers – the "Plastic Pirates" campaign’ on 13 September 2018 at 5 pm. Registrations are welcome.
On 11 July 2018, the latest edition of the Climate Talk series discuss whether a "green" revolution is underway on the financial market, and how the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan can benefit Climate Protection. Close to 40 participants contributed to the lively discussion. Sabine Pex (ISS-Oekom), Eva Kracht (BMU) and Karsten Löffler (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) introduced the topic and sketched their expectations for the future.
This conference looked into the innovative bio-based products sector. It presented key insights on the environmental impacts, investment potential and innovative aspects of selected bio-based products.
As part of its long-standing cooperation with Duke University, the Ecologic Institute implemented a course on Germany's energy transition (Energiewende), offered to Duke students as part of the Duke in Berlin Summer Program.
From 21 to 22 September 2022, the INTERLACE project held the first European Cities Talk Nature Engagement Event in Kraków (Poland). Sandra Naumann, Coordinator of the INTERLACE project and Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, opened the conference by presenting the INTERLACE project and its work on the ground to the audience.
The World Water Day, was introduced by the United Nations in 1992 to remind people of water as an essential resource for life. For this year's theme "Groundwater – making the invisible visible", Ecologic Institute co-organized a webinar to present an augmented reality app that was developed as part of the project Digital Water City (DWC). The webinar was moderated by Alexander Sperlich (BWB) and Dr. Ulf Stein (Ecologic Institute).
Ecologic Institute together with the ICLEI African Secretariat and Durham University co-organized a session 'Urban Action Towards a New Deal for Nature' at the IUCN World Conservation Congress on 7 September 2021. The session, moderated by Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis, demonstrated the success of urban action for biodiversity through evidence and experiences from around the world.