The 2-day workshop, funded within the framework of the BMU’s (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) Environmental Research Plan, took place from 3 to 4 December 2019 in Augsburg at the Bavarian State Office for the Environment.

On 2 December 2019, Doris Knoblauch and Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellows at Ecologic Institute, held a presentation on "Tackling Plastic Pollution – Introduction to Global Plastic Pollution and the Discussions at the International Level" for 21 experts from ministries, authorities, local government, and non-governmental institutions of low-income countries, including newly industrialized economies.

With future climate neutrality in view green activists from Berlin's city districts discussed local climate action at the "#FromVisionToAction!" conference. In her introductory keynote, Dr. Camilla Bausch elaborated on the current global political trends as well as the meaning of "climate neutrality", and discussed options for local action in the subsequent panel discussion with Regine Günther (Berlin Senator), Sascha Müller-Kraenner (DUH), and Clara Herrmann (District Councilor).

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Lead by German research institutions, international researchers from 20 countries are now engaged in the largest Arctic exploration of all times: the MOSAiC Expedition. Research approaches, findings and the impact of the Federal Arctic Guidelines were presented and discussed in a packed high-level evening event at the Bremen State House in Berlin. Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute moderated the event.

A delegation of Vietnamese government representatives took part in a study tour on "Air Quality Management in Germany" in Berlin from 24 to 30 November 2019. The Independent Institute for Environmental Issues organized the study tour together with Ecologic Institute on behalf of GIZ.

On 20 November 2019, Doris Knoblauch of Ecologic Institute was invited as an expert to a hearing on "Climate Protection in the Pankow District" at the Pankow District Assembly in Berlin. The expert's presentation dealt with possible climate protection measures in terms of content (e.g. how the change in mobility or nutrition can succeed), but focused on organisational aspects, such as how climate protection can be anchored as a cross-sectional task in the district administration and within the population.

Meeting the Paris climate targets and transitioning to a climate-friendly, more sustainable society cannot be achieved without extended social alliances. This raises the question of how organizations should position themselves in the future: Will the disputes become sharper and fiercer? Which approaches are taken regarding current social and ecological problems? Is it possible to balance tensions and make compromises that are coherent with ecological and social interests? The Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) invited the public to join in discussing these questions.

On 4 November 2019, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, held a lecture on "Climate Change Law – Overview of the Legal Frameworks at the International, European and National Level" at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. The lecture was part of a lecture series during the International Students’ Week. The aim of the lecture was for students to gain an understanding of the legal frameworks at the different levels and their interaction.

On 25 October 2019 the Ecologic Institute supported the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in a webinar on the IPCC Special Report on "The ocean and the cryosphere in a changing climate" (SROCC). The Ecologic Institute, together with the project Partner Climate Analytics, supported the UBA in defining and formulating the core messages of the SROCC published in September 2019.

In a broadcast on SWR2 on 23 October 2019, Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, says the EU's agricultural policy is setting the wrong incentives. Changing consumer choices is important but needs the right political framework. She notes that a transition in agriculture can only work if municipalities take greater responsibilities and if there is a change in diets towards less meat.

By 1 January 2020, all EU Member States need to submit long-term climate strategies. How will these be implemented afterwards? What are possible positive narratives about the future that they can describe? These were key themes of the fourth meeting of the Policymaker Platform - a dialogue workshop for government officials and experts organized by Ecologic Institute under its Climate Recon 2050 project.

On 21 October 2019, the event "Re-Use Berlin – neue Perspektiven für Gebrauchtwaren" (new perspectives for used goods) took place from 6 to 9 PM in Berlin's Urania. Ambassadors of reusing from Berlin presented their "stories" and visions, while business, administration and civil society representatives discussed existing approaches and sustainable ideas. 100 people participated in the event.

On 10 and 11 October 2019, experts from the Korean Environmental Ministry, Korean Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, Korean Institute of Analytical Science and Technology and the University of Seoul visited the Umweltbundesamt (UBA) and the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung (BAM) in Berlin. Together with colleagues from BAM, UBA and Ecologic Institute they presented and discussed current developments in research in Germany and Korea on micropollutants and plastic in the environment, especially in water and food. Ulf Stein from Ecologic Institute and deputy coordinator of the four-year project PlastikNet, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) presented on research activities of the research focus 'Plastics in the environment' in Germany.

The European Union and the United States share many values, principles and interests, and there is a rich tapestry of transatlantic relations at many levels and across a range of policy fields. At present, however, on climate change and climate action, – as well as other important areas of policy – the EU and the US are pulling in different, sometimes opposite directions. Led by keynote comments from author and academic Bruce Stokes, a small group of experts engaged in a round-table discussion to explore the prospects for post-election transatlantic relations and cooperation across a range of related policy fields.