For more than a quarter century, cutting-edge professionals in Germany and the United States have laid the foundation for a fundamental transformation of the financial industry. Due to their foresight and creativity, the world economy is poised to transition from a fossil fuel-oriented past to a sustainable, clean energy future. Several questions, however, still require answers. How can new opportunities be dynamically leveraged? What new risks are involved and how can they be managed? How best can ESG and sustainability indicators be quantified and integrated into the decision making process? And how do we move forward confidently amidst regulatory and policy uncertainty? Our goal was to determine what questions we should be asking as we set the stage for further research and dialogue, putting those of us committed to protecting the environment and the expansion of prosperity in position to create a dynamic and sustainable future.

The global transition to a sustainable, post-fossil fuel future poses specific, unprecedented challenges. Because cities serve as cultural, economic, and political hubs across the world, they are central to developing the solutions necessary to confront these challenges. Dramatic population increases, resource scarcity, and outdated infrastructure systems compound the pressures on the world's urban areas to implement effective strategies to improve their resiliency with respect to societal megatrends, natural disasters, and the impacts of global climate change.

This booklet and accompanying brochure will serve as a primary outreach and informational tool on the Energiewende, serving to initiate further collaboration between policymakers, industry leaders, and the general public in Germany and the US in addressing issues in energy and climate change, presenting key relevant facts within an accessible and convincing narrative.

On invitation of the Rock Environment and Energy Institute Susanne Langsdorf, Fellow at Ecologic Institute, took part in an "Energy Transformation Roundtable Discussion" in Beijing on November 3rd 2015. At the roundtable a group of international experts presented and discussed different "roadmaps" to an energy transition. Susanne Langsdorf presented the energy transition ("Energiewende") in Germany.

This collection of reports assesses climate and energy policies in all 28 Members States of the European Union (EU). The reports were jointly produced by ICF International, Ecologic Institute and eclareon to support the Directorate General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) of the European Commission in its contributions to the European Semester. Covering the state of policies in December 2014, the Country Reports provide insight into national policy developments and progress towards the achievement of the EU's climate and energy targets. So called Monthly progress Updates deliver information on more recent developments in the Member States on a monthly basis. The reports are available for download.

The increased importance of renewable energy for the electricity sector in the context of the energy transition ("Energiewende") requires that the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) be made more consistent with the Energy Act (EnWG). On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), a consortium of Ecologic Institute, Stiftung Umweltenergierecht, Öko-Institut and the law firm Becker Büttner Held is conducting a project aimed at increasing the comprehensibility and the transparency of the legal framework for the electricity sector in order to help facilitate investments.

Supply-side factors are key to explaining the dramatic fall of oil prices from over $100 per barrel since late 2013 that have eaten into the profits of oil companies. However, oil industry observers are increasingly drawing attention to the long-term disruptive potential of new technologies, design methods, and business models that could also herald strong competitive pressures by weakening consumer demand for oil. The results of the Paris Climate Summit with its call for rapid emission reduction, early peaking and green-house-gas neutrality can accelerate this trend and herald a paradigm shift. As the world begins to embrace a low-carbon future by 2050, as evidenced in the Paris Agreement and many private sector initiatives, what are the strategic implications – and opportunities – for oil companies and resource owners?

In October 2014 the European Council decided to enhance the availability and use of existing flexibility instruments under the EU Effort Sharing Decision. The auctioning of Annual Emission Allocations (AEAs) is one option to enhance flexibility. A new Ecologic Paper discusses advantages and challenges of AEA auctioning. The paper is available for download.

European Communities 2003: Guidance Document No 4. Identification and Designation of Heavily Modified and Artificial Water Bodies. Produced by Working Group 2.2 - HMWB. Luxembourg.

Since 2000 the Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) has monitored the progress of the integration of environmental objectives into transport policy in the EU. The TERM 2015 report investigates key developments in the transport sector with regards to environment, identifying what has improved and what has been a barrier to the sector's environmental performance. Ecologic Institute contributed to the TERM 2015 report with a chapter on transport and biodiversity. The full report is available for download.

Where do Canada and Germany stand in the field of energy policy, especially in renewable energies and energy efficiency? Which initiatives and projects are leading the way? Which impact had the Paris Climate Conference (COP 21)? Who is driving development and how can Canada profit from Germany's experiences? These and other questions framed the Canadian-German visitors program that took place from 13 until 17 December 2015 in Berlin and Düsseldorf, focusing on the theme "Energy Policy in Germany." The program hosted 10 stakeholders with professional backgrounds in policy, science and NGO works.

Sustainable development is an established long-term objective of the EU. The European Commission (Eurostat) regularly tracks the progress of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy and the Europe 2020 Strategy by using sustainable development indicators (SDIs). In a consortium with the Vienna University of Economics and Business, INFRAS and the Haymarket Media Group, Ecologic Institute has been drafting the monitoring reports for the strategies since 2008.

The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Ecologic Institute are expanding the Beyond GDP website. The IEEP takes care of managing new content as well as the design of the newsletter. The Ecologic Institute is responsible for the graphical and technical development of the Beyond GDP website and is responsible for incorporating the content changes into the code base and sending the updates.

Krüger, Ina and Susanne Altvater 2015: "CleanSea Fosters Marine Litter Stakeholder Dialogue Across Europe". Coastal & Marine, Special The CleanSea Project: An interdisciplinary study of marine litter in the EU 24.1: 23.

Altvater, Susanne and Heather Leslie 2015: "Let's Get Governing Marine Litter Across Europe". Coastal & Marine, Special The CleanSea Project: An interdisciplinary study of marine litter in the EU 24.1: 21.