In light of the global challenges posed by 2020, the launch of the 2020 Go To Think Tank Ranking Index asked the question "why do think tanks & policy advice matter in times of crisis". The Berlin Launch event, hosted by Ecologic Institute, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, provided space for a lively discussion about the role and placement of think tanks when faced with unprecedented global crises. The 2020 Go To Think Tank Ranking Index is compiled and published annually by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tank and Civil Societies program (TTCSP) with launch events in over 25 different countries.

Governments around the world are considering the introduction of framework laws to strengthen their climate policy. Good practice examples can be found in the experience of the growing number of countries that have already put such legislation in place – and now you can read about them in Spanish, Italian, Greek and Latvian. The summary of Ecologic Institute's 2020 report on climate laws in Europe is now available in multiple languages for use by a wide audience of interested officials and stakeholders.

Doris Knoblauch gave a presentation on plastic waste at the Freudberg School in Berlin on 9 December 2020. The lecture took place as part of the "Plastic Pirates" project.

The restrictions associated with the Corona pandemic have suddenly changed the behavior of traffic participants. As a result, significant numbers of people have taken to cycling and walking. Public transport, on the other hand, is in crisis. The need for social distance and hygiene makes collective means of transportation unappealing, and the demand for car-sharing services has dropped significantly. At the same time, the private car is experiencing a renaissance.

In the Europe-wide FIThydro project, Ecologic Institute worked with research and industry partners to study existing hydroelectric power plants. Together the project partners developed new assessment methods and technologies such as a fish population hazard index, simulations for fish migration and an open-access decision support tool for hydropower planning. The goal: making hydropower more fish-friendly and environmentally sustainable. All project results are made available online.

With a new research network, the city of Berlin aims to be able to better address central future issues such as climate protection, digitalization and sustainable economic activity. For the first time, Berlin's Senate Office for Higher Education and Research is funding a consortium of five independent, non-profit research institutes that are based in Berlin and part of the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet). Ecornet is a German network of independent research institutes with a focus on the environment and sustainability. The goal of this unprecedented research project "Wissen. Wandel. Berlin" is to strengthen Berlin's pioneering role in the development of innovative approaches to ensuring a livable, climate-neutral and sustainable city.

The two publications Catalogue of urban nature-based solutions and Policy instruments to promote urban nature-based solutions form the "Addressing Climate Change in Cities" series. Designed to support planners, designers, landscape architects as well as policymakers, city officials and local activists these two books offer a comprehensive introduction to the world of urban nature-based solutions (NBS). It is now possible to order a free hard copy of each of the publications for your institutional or personal library via an order form.

On October 12th and 13th the 2020 European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) Annual Conference took place. Together with prominent speakers like Angela Merkel and Achim Steiner participants discussed the transformative potential of the EU Green Deal. Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute presented what steps are needed next to implement the Green Deals’ Farm to Fork Strategy. The presentation is available for download.

On 25 September 2020, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, participated as an expert in a hearing of the Bavarian State Parliament’s Committee for Environment and Consumer Protection on the draft of a Bavarian Climate Change Act. Together with nine other experts, he commented on the draft law and answered questions from members of parliament.

We all separate waste. But that is not enough. We have to make sure that garbage is not produced in the first place. All resources have to be recycled again and again in cycles. At the Sustainability Forum of Neumarkter Lammsbräu, Lisa Fiedler of the VAUDE Sustainability Academy, Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart of Cradle to Cradle, Timothy Glaz of Werner & Mertz GmbH and Hannes Schritt of Ecologic Institute Berlin discussed how fast we have to be to save our planet.

The #YoungOceanWaves contest, promoted by the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), was looking for cool videos & photos that show how human beings and the ocean are connected. Over 136 amazing photos and videos have been shared on Instagram between 14 July and 18 August 2020. A wave of inspiring, intense, stunning images of the ocean, its creatures, landscapes and people who are emotionally connected to our blue planet.

On 22 September 2020 the 10th Day of the Food Industry in Brandenburg took place. For the first time through an online format, the food industry of the Berlin/Brandenburg metropolitan area discussed future paths for the development of the food industry in 2030. Stephanie Wunder from Ecologic Institute held the keynote speech. The video recording of the event is available online.

How to increase regional food production and consumption for and in cities? That was the guiding question for the panel discussion with Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, Wolfram Günther, Saxon Minister of Agriculture, Valentin Thurn, film director and chairman of the Cologne Food Policy Council and Jörg Naumann, farmer and representative of the alliance "Land schafft Verbindung" on 9 September 2020 at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden.

On the occasion of our 25th anniversary, Ecologic Institute organised a photo contest among colleagues and friends. As we are curious what the future will bring, and what visions are out there for a sustainable world, we chose the topic: Forward looking – Looking forward.