Climate change will most likely impact the effectiveness and cost of measures to improve water quality. This must be taken into account in the future when selecting measures in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Until now, the consequences of climate change have not been systematically incorporated into the economic analyses called for by the WFD. A new study in the RADOST focus topic "Water Management and Agriculture" evaluates analytical approaches used to date, thereby contributing to the necessary discussion on how existing and future programs could consider and integrate the consequences of climate change. The report is available online.
On 20 March 2013, Prof. Dr. Simonis and Michael Zschiesche were interviewed about East and West German identities in environmental policy consultancy at Ecologic Institute, Berlin. In the conversation, the differences between East and West Germany became clear, even though the beginning of the institutionalization of environmental politics seems similar. The discussion (in German) can be watched online.
Brink, P. ten et al. 2013: The Economic benefits of the Natura 2000 Network. Synthesis Report. Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), GHK, Ecologic Institut, Metroeconomica, EFTEC, Luxembourg. ISBN: 978-92-79-27588-3. The publication is available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish.
This study investigates the importance ascribed to the actions taken by water providers to ensure the protection of water bodies and human health in current benchmarking approaches of drinking water utilities. New indicators to improve the representation of these services are also suggested. Additionally, light is shed upon the risks these measures may face should centralized economic regulation, such as that currently implemented in England and Wales, be introduced. Finally, the study summarizes the possible role benchmarking approaches can play in price oversight as well as in creating a transparent presentation of the actions taken to ensure the protection of water bodies and human health. The results of the study are available for download.
This report for the City of Hamburg highlights that climate change adaptation is a dynamic process with many uncertainties. A core message for public sector institutions is to "bear climate adaptation in mind," especially through the integration of climate change concerns in upcoming decisions and the implementation of measures that have co-benefits today. Furthermore, adaptation activities should begin today if the costs of adaptation potentially remain constant over time or tend to rise. The case studies investigated also indicate that the evaluation of measures must take into account local conditions.
In his presentation, Dr. Wolfgang Urban, picked out the future expansion of renewable energies. He presented, from the perspective of the German federal government, the challenges and prospects for biogas. After the placement of bioenergy in the "orchestra of renewable energies" he examined the contribution of biogas and biomethane in order to achieve the policy objectives. He ended his remarks with a presentation of the latest developments and the conveyor frame. The presentation slides are available for download.
The workshop "Fish Protection & Downstream Migration at Hydraulic Engineering Sites - What is Needed?" collectively addressed all aspects of fish protection and downstream fish migration that are relevant for dams and water extraction structures. The focal points of the workshop were the foundations of fish behavioral ecology, the technical installations used to achieve fish protection and downstream migration, and the functional evaluations of these systems. A results paper is now available for download.
The "Teacher Training Renewable Energy" project aimed to improve the capacities of future teachers in regards to their knowledge about renewable energies and also to identify methodologies that may help teachers share this knowledge in schools. During three years of project work, Ecologic Institute, Solare Zukunft, and the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (UfU) developed a rich and comprehensive pool of (German) training materials. All teaching materials are also available beyond the project's duration and can be downloaded for free.
Ecologic Institute created an informative flyer in five languages that presented the EU-funded DEMEAU project. The project aimed to address challenges in water supply and wastewater treatment by promoting advanced technologies such as Managed Aquifer Recharge, Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Filtration, Hybrid Advanced Oxidation Processes, and Bioassays. With a strong consortium of research institutions, SMEs, and water suppliers from five EU countries, DEMEAU focused on innovation and partnership to effectively combat emerging pollutants.
On 19 December 2012, the first monitoring report from the Federal Government and the joint statement from the expert commissions about the "Energy of the Future" monitoring process were presented. The independent expert commission, composed of Prof. Dr. Andreas Löschel, Prof. Dr. Georg Erdmann, Prof. Dr. Frithjof Staiß, and Dr. Hans-Joachim Ziesing, provided scientific support and delivered a joint statement on the monitoring process, which should show progress towards the German "Energiewende", and with it a highly efficient energy system based on renewable sources by the year 2050,. Ecologic Institute provided scientific support to this work with a focus on the key topics that Dr. Hans-Joachim Ziesing and the expert commission selected for their joint statement. The joint statement is available for download.
The better integration of renewable energy, the creation of more flexibility for variable renewable energy, and the optimization of network expansion are shared challenges that China and Europe face on the way to a low-carbon economy. These topics were the discussion of a Dinner Dialogue hosted by Ecologic Institute with an expert delegation from China.
