Governance | Ecologic Institute: Science and Policy for a Sustainable World

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Project

"No more Plastics in the Oceans": Designing a legally binding global plastic convention

September 2018 to December 2018

Plastic pollution of the world's oceans is a quickly growing environmental problem. A number of international instruments and treaties are trying to address the problem, but the growing amount of plastic waste that is polluting our seas shows these are insufficient. On behalf of WWF, the project team from adelphi and Ecologic Institute thus compiled a report on gaps in global plastic governance and developed options for the design of a legally binding agreement to eliminate further marine plastic pollution.Read more

Project

Old Energy World – New Energy World: An Explaining and Clarifying Overview on the Digitalisation of the Energy System

September 2018 to December 2018

Which trends and developments characterise the energy system? How are digital technologies and data-based business models changing the energy system? What challenges do different actors face? These questions are the subject of a short study written by the Ecologic Institute on behalf of the Heinrich Böll Foundation.Read more

Event

Transatlantic Program

Arctic Summer College 2018 – Webinar Series

TimeLoc

11 July 2018 to 29 August 2018

Berlin, Germany and Washington DC

United States

The Arctic Summer College brings together Arctic experts, professionals, and students for a transdisciplinary exchange on key Arctic issues. The webinar series, which was conceived by Ecologic Institute in 2011, covered in 2018 four thematic modules: (1) Environmental Sciences, (2) Energy and Resources, (3) International Governance, and (4) Social Sciences. The webinar series is available online.Read more

Event

Transatlantic Program

2018 Arctic Summer College – Call for Applications

TimeLoc

11 July 2018 to 29 August 2018

Berlin, Germany and Washington DC

United States

Ecologic Institute and its partners are pleased to announce the 2018 Arctic Summer College and are seeking applications from emerging leaders working to improve Arctic governance from around the world. This year applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.Read more

Publication

Towards Paris-compatible Climate Governance Frameworks

An overview of findings from recent research into 2050 climate laws and strategies

Strong national climate governance frameworks are crucial to establish and maintain political support for the low-carbon transition and facilitate the implementation of policies. The truly robust governance frameworks combine key elements such as legally binding targets reached with high level of political support, broad stakeholder participation and review mechanisms that allow for adjustments over time. Creation of dedicated institutions with clearly assigned responsibilities and powers is essential to ensure the robustness and effectiveness of the framework. The study, co-authored by Ecologic Institute's Matthias Duwe, is available for download.Read more

Publication

Developing Countries in the Lead – What Drives the Diffusion of Plastic Bag Policies?

While diffusion patterns are quite well understood in the context of the Global North, diffusion research has only been applied to a limited extent to investigate how policies spread across developing countries. Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch, Linda Mederake and Ulf Stein therefore analyze the diffusion patterns of plastic bag bans and taxes in the Global South and Global North to contribute to the further refinement of diffusion theory by specifically addressing the under-researched Global South. The article is available for download.Read more

Publication

EU's Future R&I Needs in the Fields of 'Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials'

Recommendations from the RECREATE project

This summary pocket book presents key recommendations gathered in the project RECREATE regarding future research and innovation needs in "Societal Challenge 5: Climate Action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials". The results include very concrete recommendations on selected topics, overarching recommendations which shall help integrating the different research areas better and recommendations regarding the use of various methodologies. The summary pocket book is available for download. Read more

Publication

Opportunities and Barriers for Water Co-Governance

A Critical Analysis of Seven Cases of Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture in Europe, Australia and North America

Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture (DWPA) and its governance has received increased attention as a policy concern across the globe. Mitigation of DWPA is a complex problem that requires a mix of policy instruments and a multi-agency, broad societal response. In this article - to which Dr. Grit Martinez and Dr. Nico Stelljes of Ecologic Institute contributed as co-authors - opportunities and barriers for developing co-governance, defined as collaborative societal involvement in the functions of government, and its suitability for mitigation of DWPA, are reviewed using seven case studies in Europe, Australia and North America. The article is available for download.Read more

Publication

Nature-based Solutions in European and National Policy Frameworks

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being adopted as an effective tool to address urban challenges. But, to what extent do current policy frameworks support or hinder their implementation? This report examines if and how the concept of NBS is addressed in select EU and Member State policies and funding instruments. The report was published within the Horizon 2020 project NATURVATION and is available for download.Read more

Publication

Utilizing Urban Living Laboratories for Social Innovation

Can urban living labs support social and governance innovations and therewith contribute to sustainable urban planning? Can they serve as a tool to assist cities in adapting to new emerging challenges? This chapter of the Urban Planet book address these questions. The chapter introduces a brief history of urban living labs and the governance challenges they intend to address, and subsequently explores whether urban living labs hold potential as a new forum for urban governance innovation experiments to support positive transformative change. The open access chapter and book are available for download.Read more