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 the meaning of the commission's suggestions with a particular view toward electricity infrastructure. All presentation slides are available for download.

Just weeds - or is it more? Plants in parks, on roadsides, on rooftops and facades contribute to climate change adaptation and biodiversity in Berlin. In the seventh event of the series Biodiversity - Local / Global, Reinhard Schubert of the Senate Department for Urban Development and Environment, Berlin, looks at the possibilities for climate adaptation and the local biodiversity in our capital.

"Loss and damage – what can the new mechanism offer?" was the topic of the 26th Climate Talk on 7 April 2014. The event, jointly organised by the Ecologic Institute and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), featured guest speakers Ilka Wagner (BMUB), Sabine Minninger (Brot für die Welt) and Sönke Kreft (Germanwatch).

During the 11th European IFSA Symposium Dr. Ana Frelih-Larsen, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, outlined the existing mechanisms for soil protection in general and soil organic matter (soil carbon) specifically. She explained the requirements for better policies to protect soil organic matters. Sandra Naumann chaired the session. The presentation slides are available for download.

The Federal Republic of Germany is bound to a number of environmental agreements. The current government has stated in their coalition agreement that it acknowledges their commitments to EU biodiversity. What exactly does that mean for the daily activities in Parliament, in the committees, the group meetings, and in the preparation of new legislation? This event provided an overview on these topics.

The LEDDRA Policy Conference aimed to present selected and policy-related project findings and to discuss associated policy recommendations, as well as to develop new critical thinking to support future initiatives addressing Land and Ecosystem Degradation and Desertification (LEDD). The conference brought together LEDDRA researchers, policy makers from international, EU organizations, and Member States, as well as stakeholder groups and NGOs. The discussion and questions raised by the presentations and dialogue at the conference will contribute to ongoing efforts to combat land degradation and desertification at the international, European, and national levels.

Ecologic Institute, the Urania Berlin, and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin present the event series "Biodiversity - local/global" to offer a better understanding of biological diversity and its socially-relevant facets.

The first publication of the FP7 research project newsletter, titled "Contributing to Building of Awareness, Learning and Transfer of Knowledge on Sustainable Use of Raw Materials (COBALT)", is now available online. The newsletter features a comprehensive presentation of the COBALT project. It also provides information on COBALT's opening conference, the 1st COBALT EU Civil Society – Industry Dialogue; a report on mineral raw material related education; and information on upcoming EU and regional talks. Subscriptions for this electronic newsletter are available to all interested readers, with a new publication every six months.

Ecologic Institute's Ulf Stein presented first insights of the INTERREG IVb project DROP during the International Conference on Regional Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CLARR 2014) in Bremen. DROP is trying to enhance the preparedness and resilience of northwestern European regions to periods of drought and water scarcity. In his conclusions he developed messages for the domains of natural science, policy and water management. The presentation slides are available for download.