In the Arctic, increasing economic activities such as shipping and tourism as well as exploration and extraction of mineral resources are meeting unique, protected nature and harsh environmental conditions. In addition, the effects of climate change are much more perceptible in the Arctic than in other regions of the world. Air and water temperatures have risen faster than the global average in recent decades. The changes in the region also have an impact on the rest of the world. For example, melting continental ice masses contributes to rising sea levels and releasing methane from thawing permafrost soils contributes to global warming.

How can cities and municipalities contribute to climate mitigation? What are the municipal institutions, actors and processes that matter? Which areas of activity and which approaches show promising results? These are the questions addressed in this anthology of Ecornet. In the book, researchers describe and analyse in 14 articles how the implementation of the Paris Agreement can be advanced by activities at the local level.

This brochure is aimed at farmers. It provides information on how veterinary medicines enter the environment and explains their environmental impact. It also identifies ways in which environmental aspects can be taken into account in the application of veterinary medicinal products and the use of fertilisers containing veterinary medicinal products. Precautionary health measures are of particular importance. Veterinary medicines that do not need to be administered in the first place cannot harm the environment.

This brochure is aimed at veterinarians. It provides information on how veterinary medicines enter the environment, explains their environmental impact and shows how environmental aspects can be taken into account in daily veterinary work. The advisory role of veterinary medicine in relation to preventive health management is of particular importance.

This checklist for veterinary medicine and animal husbandry recalls the most important environmental issues when using veterinary medicines.

The infographic illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of four different cleaning methods for nipple drinks in pigsties with drawings. Dirt, heat and moisture in pipes and on drinking troughs provide ideal conditions for the propagation of germs in the so-called biofilm. Pathogens that have reached the drinking trough with saliva or nasal secretions from animals can survive there and can be transmitted to new animal groups.

This infographic provides a brief overview of the effects of active pharmaceutical ingredients observed in studies on non-target organisms that have been submitted and evaluated in the context of veterinary drug approvals (status 2017). A detailed version of the table, which also includes effect concentrations and sources of literature, can be downloaded as a PDF file.

The research project INNOVA will consolidate key factors from adaptive management strategies from leading earlier and on-going European initiatives in Spain (Valencia), Germany (Bay of Kiel) and the Netherlands (Nijmegen) and France’ overseas territories in Guadeloupe and Martinique. INNOVA intends to provide prototypes of climate services including business models, practical frameworks, and recommendations for creating and up-scaling opportunities while adapting to a changing climate.

Initiatives such as the Green Growth Platform (GGP) aim to positively influence political and economic decision-making. They can play an important role in shaping the ambition and structure of policy initiatives. In the absence of directly observable influences, it is often difficult to measure the actual impact of such initiatives. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear SafetyBMU, Ecologic Institute evaluated the Green Growth Platform through a survey of members, event participants and key stakeholders.

In January 2018 the European Commission adopted an Action Plan to improve compliance with EU environmental rules. Ecologic Institute and its partners support the European Commission in implementing the Action Plan. In particular, the project assists the European Commission in the development of good practice guidance documents on combating environmental crimes, on compliance assurance in rural areas and on handling environmental complaints of citizens as well as with the communication on the Action Plan.

Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples (LCIPs) have been involved in the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 1992. In 2015 the Conference of the Parties established a new element to strengthen LCIPs efforts to address and respond to climate change - the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIP Platform).

Shortly before Christmas 2017, decision makers from the Midwest in the USA and Canada took the opportunity to come to Germany and get a feel for the many different facets and recent developments of German energy policy. The group consisted of US representatives from Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin, as well as Canadian members of the legislative assembly from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. During the tour, participants were able to meet and engage with representatives from federal ministries and agencies, municipalities, the German parliament, think tanks, as well as businesses and embassies.

EUROSTAT has issued its 2017 edition on Sustainable Development in the European Union. The report provides an updated snapshot of the current situation concerning a selected number of indicators related to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This 'lite' version of the 2017 monitoring report makes use of the universal language of visuals, offering a shortcut to the essence of the messages delivered through the full version of the monitoring report. It thus provides a snapshot of the key trends related to sustainable development in the European Union. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The publication is available for download.

On 8 December 2017, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented a comparative overview of climate change laws at state level in Germany at a workshop on the further development of the Climate Change Act for Baden-Württemberg. He focused on common features and differences in the existing climate change acts, and highlighted elements of interest for the amendment of the Climate Change Act for Baden-Württemberg.

In December 2017 the publication "Creative Environment – a guide to art and sustainability initiatives in Berlin" was published by Ecologic Institute. The guide is the result of Ecologic Institute's inaugural Writer-in-Residence program. Curator Yasmine Ostendorf spent two months conducting interviews and researching initiatives in Berlin that are working in the shared spaces between art and sustainability.