In environmental matters, modern society is living at the cost to future generations. This was the main issue discussed at the Young Leaders Congress 2005 "Ecological Generational Justice into the Constitution", which brought together more than 50 participants from all over Europe and beyond. At the event, Ecologic Fellow Markus Knigge chaired a panel discussion with Karsten Sach, Head of the Division for International Affairs in the German Ministry for the Environment, and Manfred Bergman, Head of the Unit for Evaluation of Transport, Environment and Energy in the European Commission, on where we are in achieving ecological generational justice in Europe.

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), together with GTZ, convened a German National Conference on Sustainability in the Context of BRICS+G. R. Andreas Kraemer moderated the event on 9 June 2005. The national conference was held in preparation of an international conference including Brazil, Russia, India, and China in Berlin on 4 and 5 September 2005.

The United Kingdom put Africa and the Millennium Development Goals high on its agenda for its presidency of the G8 in 2005. In a discussion with Camilla Toulmin - Director of the Institute for International Environment and Development - the impacts of this initiative, its potential and possible implementation challenges were spelled out and debated. The Dinner Dialogue took place in Berlin on 6 June 2005.

As part of the Annual Foreign Policy Conference 2005 of the Heinrich Boell Foundation on European Neighbourhood Policy, R. Andreas Kraemer moderated the session on "Free Tade and Environmental Partnership" on 3 June 2005.

During a workshop conducted by Ecologic Institute and the German Federal Environmental Agency on the matter of user charges on global environmental goods, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf gave two speeches on the legal parameters of the introduction of a levy on airplane tickets as well as on emissions. Participants of the workshop were representatives of the German Government, of the EU-Commission as well as representatives of academia, industry and NGOs.

The Impact of Climate Change on the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic was the theme of a an Expert Roundtable with Representatives of Circumpolar Indigenous Peoples moderated by R. Andreas Kraemer in the context of opening the new Canadian Embassy in Berlin. It was convened jointly by the Embassy of Canada in Berlin, in partnership with the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ecologic, and the Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat of the Arctic Council on 18 May 2005.

Export Credit Agencies like the German EulerHermes AG have often been criticized for their restrictive information disclosure and the lack of participation. Through the recently agreed OECD Common Approaches, a trend towards better and earlier information disclosure has been established; however, the actual implementation of this agreement remains to be seen. Benjamin Görlach presented recent developments in a workshop organised by the non-governmental organisation World Economy, Ecology and Development (WEED).

Floods have caused substantial economic damage in recent years in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The costs of the 2002 Elbe flood alone exceeded 10 billion Euro. Thirty experts from science and public administration gathered at the Federal Environment Agency in Berlin on 10 May 2005 to discuss the role of economic instruments for flood management and the economic assessment of flood management strategies. In his lecture, Benjamin Görlach presented some selected examples of flood management in Europe and discussed the use of economic appraisal tools in the different countries.

"Investing in Ecology and Peace: Perspectives of Transatlantic Cooperation" was the theme of a conference at the Protestant Academy of Loccum, Germany, organised in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, the Heinrich Boell Foundation, and the UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) of the United Nations Environment Programme. R. Andreas Kraemer prepared the discussion on "How to Prevent Wars over Natural Resources?", thereby responding to the Worldwatch Institute's "State of the World 2005" summary presented by Michael Renner.

During the summer semester of 2005, Dr. Norbert Kopytziok is directing the course "Ecology and Design" at the College of Architecture, Media and Design of the Berlin University of the Arts. The course focuses on the debate around ecological efficiency which has entered, over the last few years, the area of ecological product construction and Eco-design.

After years of political debate, the Kyoto Protocol came into force on 16 February 2005. Against this background, the fourth Climate Talk posed questions regarding what climate politics and economic effects the Kyoto Protocol in its present form will have and which (further) steps for the path to a "Carbon Constrained Economy" (Tony Blair) are necessary. Presentations were given by Dr. Hermann Ott (Head of the Wuppertal Institute Berlin Office) and by Dr. Hans-Joachim Ziesing (Senior Executive of the German Institute for Economic Research).

Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, presented and discussed her ideas on „Green Ways to Growth“ at an Ecologic/IEEP Dinner Dialogue arranged in her honour on 28 February 2005. Considering the tensions related to emphasising synergies between the economy and the environment on the one hand and the plea for a strong independent environmental policy in its own right on the other, participant statements highlighted aspects of and debated solutions for a green path for growth.

The Ecologic Dinner Dialogue on 17 February 2005 focused on the role of renewable energies in the USA. It was held to honour Jan McFarland and James H. Caldwell. This "zero-emission-pair" has shown great commitment over the last decades for a change in energy supply leading to an increased use of renewable energies in the USA.