What's new

Publication:Policy Brief
 
In this Policy Brief of the EU-funded NICHES project, Benjamin Kupilas (Ecologic Institute) and David Alejandro Camacho Caballero (UAB) examine how cities like Barcelona, Berlin, and Rotterdam can shape the transition to sustainable urban water systems through Nature-based Solutions (NBS). The core question is which governance models, participatory processes, and methodological approaches are needed to embed NBS effectively into urban storm- and wastewater management strategies.

Transitioning to Sustainable Urban Water Systems

Insights from Barcelona, Berlin, and Rotterdam

Year

Read more
Publication:Article
 
Cover of a publication from 'Cambridge Prisms' titled 'Plastics.' The cover features a gradient background transitioning from deep red to blue, with white lines cutting across the lower half. The title 'Plastics' is displayed in simple white text.
To enable a genuine shift toward a circular plastic economy, the UN plastics treaty must confront two critical structural barriers: fossil fuel and plastic production subsidies, and the failure to internalize the true societal and environmental costs of plastic. Without addressing these root causes, efforts to end plastic pollution risk falling short, the authors of this article argue. Among them Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch.

A Circular Plastic Economy Should Account for all Societal Costs

Year

Read more
Publication:Book Section
 
Cover of the book " A research agenda for environmental crime and law"
As part of the section on new and emerging themes in the book A Research Agenda for Environmental Crime and the Law, Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, contributed a chapter titled "Climate Change and Criminal Justice". In this chapter, he explores why criminal law currently plays only a marginal role in discussions on climate change mitigation – and whether this should, and could, be changed.

Climate Change and Criminal Justice

Chapter in A Research Agenda for Environmental Crime and the Law

Year

Read more
Event:Digital Event
 
As part of the expert dialogue "Second-Hand Instead of New – Calculating and Communicating CO₂ Savings Potential", taking place online on September 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment invited participants to explore current approaches to quantifying CO₂ savings in the context of waste prevention.

Second-Hand Instead of New

Calculating and Communicating CO₂ Savings Potential


online

Read more
News
 
As part of its contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation "Towards a circular, regenerative and competitive bioeconomy", Ecologic Institute has actively supported the policy discourse through targeted publications and strategic engagement. Developed under the Horizon Europe projects SCALE-UP and 3-CO, these outputs reflect concrete regional experience and promote a transition that respects ecological boundaries, strengthens regional governance, and ensures social inclusion.
 

Advancing a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy

Ecologic Institute’s Contribution to the EC Public Consultation

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
Cover featuring purple graphic elements and misty forest photo
The European bioeconomy has great potential to support climate, biodiversity, and development goals. Yet rural actors – farmers, SMEs, and local authorities – often face barriers to participation, from lack of knowledge to limited funding access. Four EU projects – RuralBioUp, SCALE-UP, BioRural, and MainstreamBIO – have released joint recommendations for an updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

From Strategy to Action for a Regional, Participatory, and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy

Evidence and recommendations from RuralBioUp, SCALE-UP, BioRural, and MainstreamBIO

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
Social innovation is rapidly gaining traction across Europe not just as a solution to pressing social and environmental problems, but as a transformative force reshaping how we live, produce, and consume. From repair cafés and local food networks to inclusive digital platforms, social innovation fosters trust, collaboration, and resilient communities, especially within local bioeconomies.

Enabling Change from the Ground up

Policy recommendations to foster social innovation in Europe

Year

Read more
Publication:Report
 
Cover page of the report “International Oil Extraction Levy – Design recommendations and impact analysis,” published by Ecologic Institute and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Authors: Prof. Dr. Luan Santos, Dr. Michael Jakob, Jonathan Gardiner, Flora Dicke, and Benjamin Görlach. Publication date: 27 June 2025.
This report explores the design and implications of an international oil extraction levy as a mechanism to mobilize new sources of climate finance. The assessed levy places a price on the embedded CO₂ in extracted crude oil, increasing production costs and likely raising oil prices for final consumers. By internalising part of the climate costs of fossil fuels, the mechanism aligns with the polluter pays principle.

International Oil Extraction Levy

Design recommendations and impact analysis

Year

Read more
Publication:Brochure
 
Coverpage of publication "Arbeitshilfe zur Planung und Genehmigung von Moorschutzvorhaben in Niedersachsen"
Rewetting peatlands – but how? This new guide provides an overview of the key steps involved in planning, financing and authorising peatland protection projects in Lower Saxony, as well as the associated measures. Commissioned by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, the brochure features contributions from Felix Dengler and Ulf Stein on behalf of the Ecologic Institute.

Arbeitshilfe zur Planung und Genehmigung von Moorschutzvorhaben in Niedersachsen

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
This sectoral brief explores how transitioning to a Nature-Positive Economy requires transforming marine industries from drivers of biodiversity loss to forces for ocean restoration. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Blue Economy

Sectoral Brief

Year

Read more
Publication:Policy Brief
 
This brief explores how transitioning to a Nature-Positive Economy requires transforming tourism from a driver of environmental degradation into a force for ecosystem restoration. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Tourism

Sectoral Brief

Year

Read more
Subscribe to What's new