The objective of this report was to establish a starting position for potential advances in DRR strategies through review, data collection and historical analysis. In particular, the report reviewed (supra-)national DRR management plans for all CSs and analysed large-scale historical events to derive lessons-learned at RISC-KIT European CSs in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and France. Large-scale events like tropical cyclones and hurricanes were also analysed for Bangladesh and the USA. An interdisciplinary approach drawing on the physical, economic, social and historical sciences was used to ensure that all aspects relevant to the project were considered.

What makes adaptation measures successful, and how can they be used as good examples? In his recent article "The view beyond the horizon – International examples of climate adaptation", Dr. Nico Stelljes aims to answer this question using different success factors for the classification of good examples of adaptation to climate change, presenting five examples of adaptation measures. The article was published in the seventh volume of the OEKOM series 'Climate Change within Regions'.

As part of the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2015, Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute chaired the session, "Safeguarding our Shores: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Coastal Climate Change Adaptation in Europe and the United States." During the session, which took place at the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA), the origins and meanings of flood protection programs, adaptation measures and strategies in the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and the US were discussed. Dr. Nico Stelljes provided a presentation about local adaptation strategies. The presentation is available for download.

The aim of this report is to create a framework to understand and ultimately assess the linkages from the drivers of shipping in the Baltic Sea to its effects on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. Available Drivers Pressures State Impact Response (DPSIR) frameworks are analysed and adapted to shipping in the Baltic Sea. The developed DPSIR framework will be operationalised in further steps using available indicators. An adapted DPSIR framework and especially the reviewed indicators will be used to assess potential changes to ecosystem services compared to Business As Usual (BAU) and an integrated assessment and policy analysis to reduce pressures from shipping in the Baltic Sea.

As part of the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference 2015, Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute chaired the session, "Safeguarding our Shores: Social and Cultural Dimensions of Coastal Climate Change Adaptation in Europe and the United States." During the session, the origins and meanings of flood protection programs, adaptation measures and strategies in the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and the US were discussed. The presentations are available for download.

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) established a framework for promoting renewable energy development in all sectors, including binding national renewable energy targets and a mandatory target of 10% for all Member States for renewable energy use in transport. Commissioned by DG Energy, a consortium composed of CE Delft, Ricardo-AEA, Ecologic Institute, E-Bridge and REKK carried out an assessment of the effectiveness and efficiency so far of measures and actions laid down in the Directive. Stephan Sina, Christine Lucha, Andreas Prahl and Lenat Donat contributed to the study. The study is available for download.

Energy security was the topic of a lively dialogue during the 30th German Canadian Conference in Brussels (Belgium). Representing countries with very different energy and climate policy, Michael Keenan, Associate Deputy Minister of National Resources Canada, and Dr. Camilla Bausch, Director of Ecologic Institute, outlined important aspects of their respective national debate before engaging in an exchange with the high-level participants.

Stefes, Christoph; Andrew Reid; Lucy Smith et. al. 2014: Climate Change Impacts in the Atlantic Basin and Coordinated Adaptation Responses. ATLANTIC FUTURE scientific paper no. 16, Berlin.

Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, prepared a discussion paper on "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and its relevance for global sustainable land use" as part of the GLOBALANDS project. The paper is available for download.

On 20 May 2015, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released its State of Nature in the EU technical report, representing the EU's most comprehensive assessment to date of the status and trends of the EU's birds, habitats and non-bird species. The report is accompanied by a summary report and a brochure released by the European Commission's Directorate-General (DG) for Environment that highlight the technical report's key policy messages. Ecologic Institute contributed to each of the technical report's chapters as part of the EEA's European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity (ETC-BD) and is one of the report's lead authors. The report is available for download.

Climate change and its impacts are already tangible and necessitate swift and concrete adaptation and mitigation actions. This involves a dual approach, which combats the causes of climate change and also supports society in dealing with a changing climate and its effects. This comprehensive study synthesizes evidence from ecosystem-based projects from across the German-speaking regions of Europe and presents the goals and activities of such projects, their benefits, and the barriers they face. It also develops recommendations for policy makers. The study is available for download.

To ensure that the EU meets or potentially overachieves its 2030 energy and climate targets and embarks on a decarbonisation trajectory that is consistent its 2050 objective, an effective and robust governance system is of key importance. Given the diversity of interests among EU Member States, there is a need for innovative thinking on how to design effective approaches that can secure consent in the EU policy-making process.
 To contribute to this debate, Ecologic Institute develops policy advice on the potential for streamlining existing planning and reporting requirements in the energy and climate policy field while improving their quality and consistency. Moreover, the team is analysing the relationship between the current and likely future reporting requirements under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the EU's internal governance system.

The first expert workshop of the discussion series "Improving climate protection – for Paris and beyond" dealt with the topic "Paris 2015 – Signals for non-state actors?" The event took place on 15 April 2015 in Berlin.

Wunder, Stephanie and Franziska Wolff 2015: International Governance Screening of Global Urban Policies and their Impacts on Sustainable Land Use. Discussion Paper prepared by GLOBALANDS Project. Öko-Institut, Ecologic Institute, Berlin.

On 9 June 2015, the results of the project "Strategic Development of the National Climate Initiative (NKI)" were discussed at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) in Berlin. The half-day conference focused on the presentation of the results of the development of the National Climate Initiative as well as on the exchange and networking of high-ranking stakeholders from policy, business, scientific institutions, and civil society.