There is still no specific soil protection law at EU level. In 2014 the European Commission withdrew its 2006 proposal for a soil protection directive, after two unofficial compromise proposals of 2010 and 2011 failed to secure an agreement. The project analyses and compares the three proposals, because they represent the course and state of play of the political debate and could play a role in the event of new political initiatives. A legal analysis shows commonalities and differences between the soil protection requirements of the proposals and German soil protection law. The study also examines the potential cost for the Federal and State level to gather the necessary data if there was an obligation to identify and determine risk areas according to certain criteria. The project also analyses to what extent EU laws and instruments regulate or have an impact on soil protection, and provides an assessment if and how soil protection standards could be incorporated or added.

<p>The Ecologic Institute supports the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) in their preparations for the newly established G20 Climate Sustainability Working Group.</p>

<p>On 31 October 2016, Ecologic Institute hosted a Dinner Dialoge on the German Climate Action Programme 2020 and the Climate Plan 2050 featuring guest speakers&nbsp; Dr. Karsten Sach, BMUB, Dr. Hermann Hüwels, DIHK, and Regine Günther, WWF.&nbsp; Franzjosef Schafhausen moderated the discussion. The 21 participants discussed which criteria a 2050 climate strategy would need to fulfil, and how this strategy could foster the required transformation towards a low-carbon economy.</p>

The valuation of damages and risks for the human health caused by environmental pressures is a methodological challenge, as there are no market prices for most of those damages and risks. But a number of economic methods have been developed to estimate and value those risks and damages.

On 6 January 2017 ELEEP released a new podcast episode featuring a conversation with Edith Bayer (Associate, Regulatory Assistance Project) on "Efficiency First", the organizing principle that prioritizes energy efficiency and demand response investments whenever they would cost less or deliver more than building new supply or grid infrastructure.

Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin and Christiane Gerstetter (2016): Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on a Sustainable Economy. Flyer.

The research project’s objective is to provide a legal and political science perspective to the Federal Government’s efforts to anchor the protection of resources more strongly at the international level. The project analyses how public international law and other international governance mechanisms can contribute to making the utilisation of resources more efficient and reducing resource consumption.

<p>In 2017, Ecologic Institute is continuing to analyze key legislative proposals and political processes related to the 2030 energy and climate policy framework of the European Union (EU). This includes specifically the proposed regulations for the post-2020 Effort Sharing and for the Governance of the Energy Union. This work is being done in support of and as a contribution to an initiative by the European Climate Foundation (ECF), with the aim to advance the overall understanding of the options for future EU energy and climate governance in collaboration with many fellow research institutions.</p>&#13;

<p>To put our energy system back on track to achieve the long term EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, scaled up efforts are required especially in the three major areas of energy consumption: transport, heating and cooling, as well as electricity generation for households and industry. As these sectors still rely largely on fossil fuels, radical technological changes are needed. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to obtain an overall picture of what technological options are available and how these options can be combined to drive decarbonisation efforts and ensure resilience of the EU energy system.</p>&#13;

The Paris Agreement states that Parties will scale up their commitments with every consecutive nationally determined contribution. A new paper by Ecologic Institute shows how EU legislation can help implement this requirement. The paper is available for download.

Albert, Christian et. al. 2017: Towards a National Ecosystem Assessment in Germany. A Plea for a Comprehensive Approach. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, Volume 26, Number 1, 2017, pp. 27-33(7).

The Ecologic Institute is responsible for concept, design, programming and content of the POCACITO project website. The website provides information on the project, the case studies and the project results. There is also a "marketplace of ideas", where users can search for specific information by filtering the topics, locations and population. An interactive map then shows the accompanying cities. Furthermore all news about the project can be found in the blog on the website.

The second BONUS Soils2Sea workshop in the Swedish case study region brought together project partners from BONUS Soils2Sea, as well as an engaged group of Polish and Swedish farmers, representatives from the community Mykanow, a representative from a fishing association, the Länsstyrelsen Skåne (The County Administrative Board Skåne), and Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (Swedish Marine and Water Authority). Highlights of the workshop were a film screening of a Soils2Sea documentary recently shot in Poland, presentations on the Tullstorp river restoration project, and a world cafe stakeholder discussion on different governance scenarios to regulate nutrients. The workshop was followed by a field trip to the Tullstorp river, where the different restoration measures and the recently created wetlands could be experienced hands-on.

On 18 November 2016, the ELEEP Network and the POCACITO project hosted an official COP 22 side event in Marrakech on the topic "Transatlantic Perspectives on Integrating Climate Mitigation and Adaptation in Cities".

The Austrian government is currently in the process of developing a strategy for research, technology and innovation to support the emerging bioeconomy. Following this process, the development of a broader strategy is envisaged that comprises further policy domains and sectors. Against this background, the questions arise regarding what role civil society organisations should play in this process and how they can contribute to shaping the further development of the Austrian bioeconomy.