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 Saturday, 23 April 2016, 15 children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 17 from different parts of the Ahrensfelde municipality met to participate in a creative workshop. The goal was to create a vision of how their community should develop sustainably until 2030. The day-long workshop was organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with the Hochschule Eberswalde, the youth coordinator of the community and the municipality.

What could be better than linking fun pastimes—like swimming in the Baltic Sea—with curricular activities? As part of the "Year of Science 2016/17 Seas and Oceans" students, Johanna Gronewald, Kira Paprotka and Bleona Veselaj, from the Rheingau-Gymnasium secondary school in Berlin discussed adaptation strategies to deal with climate change ef-fects at the German Baltic Sea with Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute.

The conference "Cities and Climate Change – the deluge ahead" on the prevention, adaptation and management of heavy rainfalls took place in Münster on 7 April 2016. The conference brought together 180 participants from management, policy, science, consultancy and practice and was organized by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKULNV) and the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, Building, Housing and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MBWSV). The objective of the conference was to provide a platform for dialogue and exchange between the participants. The knowledge transfer was aimed at increasing the awareness of climate impacts as well as showing the need for prevention.

We are excited to announce the eighth and final webinar in our POLIMP Webinar Series, which will feature a discussion with Prof. Michael Grubb, author of the book Planetary Economics, on the topic "Are EU climate policies up to the challenge of decarbonizing Europe?". The webinar will be moderated by Ecologic Institute’s Benjamin Görlach (Head, Economics and Policy Assessment).

Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, participated in a dialogue TTIP organised by IFOK and funded by various German industry associations. She also contributed as an expert to a citizens' forum in Jena in December 2015 and to an expert hearing in Berlin in January 2016. Videos of the hearing in German are available online.

This webinar brings together three experts in conversation about the Arctic at COP21, its effects on the region today, and the prospects for renewable energy for both mitigation and adaptation. Arctic policymakers and residents are facing a unique opportunity to reinvent circumpolar energy development for a sustainable future.

Amory Lovins supplied the intellectual DNA for the Energy Transition, notably with his concept of "Soft Energy" and how it promotes peace and prosperity. In recognition of his many contributions, he received the German Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse (Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) on 17 March 2016 at the Federal Foreign Office. Ecologic Institute and the Hertie School of Governance held a reception in celebration of Amory Lovins' achievements the following day.

In the project "Scientific coordination of research projects on a sustainable economy" (Wissenschaftliche Koordination der Fördermaßnahme Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, NaWiKo) Ecologic Institute and its partners coordinate 30 research projects, which deal with a more sustainable economy and are supported by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF).

We are excited to announce the seventh webinar in our POLIMP Webinar Series, which will feature a discussion on the topic "Sharing the effort for 2030: main issues for future EU targets" moderated by Ecologic Institute's Head of Climate, Matthias Duwe.

As part of the "Green Finance – Strategies and Instruments for Financing the Ecological Modernisation Process" project, the Federal Environment Agency organized a workshop to discuss initial research findings on the financing requirements for a green transformation in Germany on 3 March 2016 in Berlin.

The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) presented on 25 February 2016 a statement entitled "Environment and Free Trade: Environmentally sound design of TTIP". Following the presentation of the statement by Prof. Dr. Christian Callies, a member of the SRU, a panel discussion was held. Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow, Ecologic Institute, was one of the participants, next to Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan and Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner.

The launch of the University of Pennsylvania's 2015 Global Think Tank Ranking Report found Ecologic Institute increasing its position in several categories while remaining a top ten environment think tank for the sixth year in a row. Ecologic Institute placed at 9th position amongst 95 eligible institutions in the category Top Environment Think Tanks, a grouping assessing leading environmental policy institutions on a global level.

We are excited to announce the sixth webinar in our POLIMP Webinar Series, which will feature a discussion on the topic: "Beyond feed-in tariffs: the future of renewable energy support" moderated by Ecologic Institute's Head of Climate, Matthias Duwe.

In 2016, the negotiations on the legislative instruments for the EU's 2030 climate and energy targets will take off for good. Following the proposal for a revised ETS Directive in mid-2015, the next milestone for the implementing legislation will be a new Effort Sharing Decision (ESD). The European Commission is expected to publish a proposal for the new ESD before the summer.