At the third Climate Talk a first review of the allocation of CO 2 -emission-rights in Germany was conducted. Experts from business, science, and government discussed the practical and legal difficulties of allocation, both for industry and administration. Presentations were given by Dr. Simon Marr (Deutsche Emissionshandelsstelle - DEHSt), Dr. Jürgen Altenburg (RWE Power AG) and Peter Ebsen (Baker& McKenzie LLP).

International climate policy, the significance of Russia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the US elections were the subject at the Dinner Dialog on 6 December 2004. It was held in honour of Oran Young, university professor in the U.S. and in Norway. The institutional structure and goals of the international climate regime, the opportunities, both for the further development of existing structures and agendas and for the creation of possible new regimes as well as the need for concrete action, were vividly and controversially discussed.

"Greening of Policies – Interlinkages and Policy Integration" was the title of the Fourth Berlin Conference on the human dimension of global change. Organised by the Environmental Policy Research Centre of the Freie Universität Berlin, the conference took place on 3 and 4 December 2004 in Berlin. Ecologic Fellows Benjamin Görlach and Markus Knigge presented their work on transparency in export credit agencies.

"Sustainable Development within the context of economic globalisation" was the subject discussed at a seminar organised by the University Nürtingen. The event took place on 26 and 27 November 2004 and was dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues within Germany's higher education system. Markus Knigge, Ecologic Fellow, gave a presentation on the relationship between multilateral environmental agreements and the international trade regime.

On the occasion of a delegation visit of water experts and environmental activists from Korea to the Berlin Water Works on 26 October 2004, Ecologic Fellows Britta Pielen and Nicole Kranz spoke about the German water sector, current developments in EU water policy as well as public participation in water management.

The Arctic has been described as an indicator region for global environmental health. Both in the case of persistent organic pollutants and in the case of global warming, detrimental effects on indigenous peoples are becoming visible throughout the region - impacts that will also be felt in other parts of the world. A Dinner Dialogue with John Crump discussed possible impacts and the actions taken by the Arctic Council in response to these threats. The Dinner Dialogue took place in Berlin on 13 October 2004.

International Climate Protection Policy was the subject at the Dinner Dialogue in honor of Lee Lane, Executive Director of the Climate Policy Center in Washington DC. The roots and the role of growing US conservatism as the driving force of American climate policy were controversially discussed, as well as the most efficient and promising approaches to tackle climate change issues. The Dinner Dialogue took place on 6 October 2004 in Berlin.

The Linking Directive was the topic of the Climate Talk event which took place on 11 August. Experts from business, science, and government discussed the legal framework and the difficulties of putting JI (Joint Implementation) and CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) into practice within the framework of the European emissions trading scheme. Presentations were given by Dr. Patrick Graichen (Federal Government for the Environment - BMU), Thomas Langrock (German Agency for Emissions Trading - DEHSt) and Dr. Sascha Lafeld (3C).

In his contribution for the symposium "Representation of Interests by NGOs at European Level" at the Bucerius Law School, Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf focused on the influence of European environmental interest groups on European environmental Policy. Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf analysed the institutional structures of European environmental NGOs and illustrated their success and deficits in influencing European environmental Policy. Therein, he focused on the Green G8, an umbrella association of European environmental NGOs and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).

High level representatives, among them the Ambassador of Costa Rica to Germany, exchanged views on the role of education and potential of fair trade in rural areas of developing countries. One of the main issues debated at the Dinner Dialogue on 1 July 2004 in Berlin with Dr. José Zaglul, Rector of Earth University in Costa Rica, was the question of the contribution of agricultural education and fair trade to rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The first Climate Talk discussion revolved around "Climate Protection and Competition", as the contemporaneous debates between EU member states about the National Allocation Plans had raised many questions about climate protection measures and the distortion of competition. Presentations were given by Dr. Simon Marr (Deutsche Emissionshandelsstelle – DEHSt) and Steffen Hentrich (Rat von Sachverständigen für Umweltfragen – SRU).