The EU has stated its commitment to transitioning into a post-carbon society. Though the goal of living in a post-carbon society is clear, the road to get there is not so easy. How can we build the EU of the future while overcoming technological, political, societal, economic and behavioural challenges? The Research for a Post-Carbon Future conference on 17 September 2014 explored ways to transform these challenges into opportunities and help propel the EU towards a more sustainable future.

Following the conference "Research for a Post-Carbon Future," on 17 September 2014 in Berlin, a cocktail reception celebrated Ecologic Institute’s 20th year as an organisation. During this reception, the official change in management was announced.

On the 15 of September 2014, the polar explorer Robert Swan held a presentation at Ecologic Institute regarding his trip to the North and the South Pole. The English environmentalist Robert Swan has the honour of being the first man to reach both geographical poles on foot. Starting from his expeditions onward, Swan has dealt with the local environmental and political problems. As a visiting professor and motivational speaker, Swan makes himself available to organisations such as Ecologic Institute and associated groups to discuss and promote solutions to environmental issues such as global warming, glacial melting and pollution. He also publishes works on these subjects.

A new economic paradigm and its multiple facets for future development were intensively discussed at the international "Degrowth Conference" in Leipzig from 2. until 6. September 2014. The Ecologic Institute contributed through presentations, workshops and moderations. Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers and Susanne Langsdorf presented results obtained in a "Horizon Scanning"-exercise done as part of the SimRess-project. The presentation slides are available for download.

Between September and December 2014, the first group of students from the University Colorado Denver successfully participated in the newly established semester abroad program "Sustainability in Berlin." In addition to two courses on "Environmental Politics and Policy" taught by Prof. Christoph Stefes and a course on "The Global Ecological Crisis" taught by Stephanie Wunder from Ecologic Institute, the students experienced firsthand what sustainability means in practice. During field trips to Berlin, Dessau (Germany), and Copenhagen (Denmark) they learned about alternative concepts for transport, energy, food waste, diets, housing, and climate change adaptation.

The ECCA 2015 will offer a unique platform to share new research results, novel policy developments, and practical implementation experiences on climate change impacts and adaptation. A special expo onsite at ECCA 2015 will also highlight innovative business opportunities, thereby demonstrating how climate change adaptation can contribute to job creation and other societal benefits in Europe. If you wish to stay up-to-date with news and announcements from the conference, we suggest you sign up for our ECCA2015 newsletter.

On 7 July 2014, Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow of the Ecologic Institute, presented the EU-funded project "Climate Change, Hydro-conflicts and Human Security (CLICO)" to a group of students, which are members of different German academic foundations. In CLICO, the Ecologic Institute was the leader of one work package conducting a policy analysis and giving policy recommendations. The presentation is available for download.

What shape will the future governance framework of European climate and energy policy take? The proposal submitted by the European Commission at the beginning of this year raises more questions than it answers in this regard. Dr. Camilla Bausch and Christine Lucha of the Ecologic Institute invited experts to a workshop to discuss what impact the new EU Governance has on the electricity sector and how to design the requested regional cooperation.