As cities across Europe face increasing pressure from climate risks such as heatwaves and flooding, digital platforms are becoming key enablers of effective and inclusive adaptation planning. The Adaptation AGORA webinar, hosted by Stockholm Environment Institute, brought together over 100 participants to explore three leading platforms that support nature-based solutions (NbS) in urban contexts. Natalia Burgos Cuevas, Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the Urban Governance Atlas – an interactive online database of over 250 policy instruments that support NbS and ecosystem restoration across Europe, Latin America, and beyond.

Germany is under increasing water stress, despite rising precipitation and extreme weather. The core issue lies not in rainfall quantity, but in the inability of our anthropogenically modified landscape to retain water. The Handbook of Agricultural Measures for Enhancing Water Retention, Water Quality and Biodiversity addresses this challenge head-on. Developed with farmers and advisors in mind, it presents field-tested and scientifically evaluated nature-based solutions for agricultural water management. These measures do not compete with productivity—they ensure long-term agricultural viability in a changing climate.

The overall project objective is to support mapping and assessing ecosystems, habitats and species as well as protected areas to compile the best possible evidence and data needed to map and assess ecosystem condition across the EU, at country level and for individual ecosystem types, habitats and species. The integrated analysis will build on direct measurement data, data from Member State reporting, and through indirect evidence to help develop analyses on trends in ecosystem condition.

At the MoorNet Final Conference 2025, results and approaches from the research and development project were presented. The event also offered space to discuss further developments and to identify additional needs for action. Key topics included overcoming implementation barriers, funding issues, and the need for communication strategies and networking concepts to strengthen and accelerate the rewetting of peatlands.

The inaugural Horizon Scan was a success. In a small group, our researchers discussed Europe's capacity for innovation and long-term resilience with representatives from politics, public authorities, and civil society. For the keynote speech, we were fortunate to have Ulrich Wilhelm, a lawyer, journalist, and former government spokesman and former Director of Bayerischer Rundfunk.

This ECNO report assesses transparency and policy information in the final National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) of four EU countries: France, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. The report evaluates whether these plans provide a sufficient blueprint for achieving national climate targets.

As the European Commission develops the CRCF, the need for effective monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and a detailed registry is becoming more pressing. Against this background, the CAFAMORE project addresses these challenges by developing a harmonised, parcel-level monitoring approach and a geographically explicit registry for carbon farming across the EU.

The project analyses the development of environmental crime in Germany between 2013 and 2024, based on data from the Police Crime Statistics (PKS) and the law enforcement statistics of the Federal Statistical Office. The analysis provides both an overview of long-term trends and an in-depth assessment of individual categories of environmental offences.

How can nature conservation measures be designed to increase the resilience of ecosystems to climate change? This is the focus of a research project funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and led by the Ecologic Institute. The project aims to develop a scientifically sound and practical concept for assessing and promoting the climate resilience of ecosystems in Germany. The results are intended to provide strategic impetus for a climate-resilient approach to nature conservation.

How can scientific advisory bodies help shape and legitimise the political course? This central question was the focus of the roundtable debate ‘The Role and Effectiveness of Scientific Advisory Bodies in Advancing EU Climate Policy’, moderated by Matthias Duwe (Ecologic Institute). He led the discussion, which focussed on the function and impact of scientific climate advisory bodies in the European context.

As part of the annual Marine Nature Conservation Colloquium, scientists from the research projects commissioned by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) present their interim results and open questions. On behalf of Ecologic Institute, Dr. Grit Martinez presented initial results from the research project The German North Sea and Baltic Sea over 100 years ago (HISTOMAR). The "Shifting Baseline Syndrome" was the focus of the presentation and the subsequent discussion.

A research team including Arne Riedel from Ecologic Institute examines the political agency of transnational city alliances – particularly the Arctic Mayors' Forum (AMF) – and their contribution to sustainable urban development in the European Arctic.

To generate new sources of climate finance, this project assesses the design and implications of an international oil extraction levy. Unlike downstream carbon pricing policies, the levy would be applied at the point of oil extraction and based on the embedded carbon in crude oil. By internalising part of the climate costs of fossil fuels, the mechanism aligns with the polluter pays principle.

Nature-based solutions, such as green spaces or river restoration, can make a valuable contribution to municipal climate adaptation. The new topic page 'Nature-based climate adaptation' on the Federal Environment Agency's website highlights different aspects of such approaches and offers municipalities targeted support in their planning and implementation. In addition to information on the legal framework and funding issues, it also contains practical examples and helpful publications. Ecologic Institute designed and implemented the content of the website on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency.

This review explores the potential synergies between marine conservation and climate adaptation strategies, which are critical for addressing climate change impacts in European coastal and marine areas. The article, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, identifies and evaluates integrated approaches that support both marine ecosystem protection and climate adaptation.