What is the role of the Common Agricultural Policy in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation? Has the recent round of CAP reform sufficiently contributed to the effort to address these issues? These questions were the focus of the 25th Climate Talk, jointly organized by Ecologic Institute and the Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), which featured presentations by Clemens Neumann (BMELV), Reinhild Benning (BUND), and Sandra Naumann (Ecologic Institute).

Biomethane is a flexible and easily storable fuel that can be used wherever natural gas is used without the need to change any settings on equipment designed to use natural gas. In regions where a natural gas grid already exists, there is a ready-made system for the distribution of biomethane. In chapter 16 of the Biogas Handbook, Ecologic Institute's Dr. Wolfgang Urban briefly introduces the legal framework and technical standards of biomethane feed-in to the German gas network. The chapter furthermore describes the different subsidy schemes and reliefs to encourage biomethane production or utilization; and the different available options for biomethane feed-in and feed-in facilities.

The electronic newsletter, published in English, includes stories on the latest findings of the BASE project (Bottom-Up Adaptation Strategies towards a Sustainable Europe), along with information on other key developments related to climate change adaptation in Europe. Furthermore, the newsletter includes a number of recurring features. These include the 'Adaptation Dialogues', chronicling the perspectives and experiences of local level stakeholders implementing adaptation activities, as well as the 'Adaptation Snapshots', images from around Europe of adaptation in action.

The Baltadapt Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region were launched and presented during the final Baltadapt Conference. The aim of the Baltadapt Strategy is a connected region with informed actors on all levels, where the specific objective of the Action Plan is to strengthen the capacity for adaptation action at all relevant levels and to enhance adaptive capacity in the region. The aim of the Baltadapt project was to formulate a Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region, as well as an accompanying Action Plan with recommended actions and proposed guidelines for climate change adaptation. Both documents are available for download.

This collection of country reports assesses climate and energy policies in all 28 Members States of the European Union (EU). The reports were jointly produced by 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 period between May 2012 and January 2013, the reports provide insight into national policy developments and progress towards the achievement of the EU’s climate and energy targets. The reports are available for download.

DEMEAU is a three-year EU FP7-funded project to demonstrate promising technologies that tackle emerging pollutants in water and wastewater. DEMEAU provides environmental impact and costs assessments (i.e. life cycle assessment and life cost assessment) and showcases four groups of technologies: managed aquifer recharge, hybrid ceramic membrane filtration, hybrid advanced oxidation and bioassays. The objective of DEMEAU is to demonstrate the suitability and cost-effectiveness of innovative methods and technologies to reduce levels of emerging pollutants in water and wastewater.

As part of the Sustainable Development Strategy process, a conference entitled "Dialogue for the National Sustainable Development Strategy: How could its environmental profile be strengthened?" was held on 18-19 March 2004. Ecologic Institute conceptually prepared the conference and wrote the final report. Six topics of cross-sectional interest were chosen and guidelines for discussions developed.

As part of implementing the Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC-Directive), the Best Available Techniques (BAT) for waste treatment industries were identified in a European-wide process and described in the BAT REFerence document (BREF) "waste treatment industries".

The European Commission regularly tracks the progress towards sustainable development objectives within the EU and the individual Member States, drawing upon sustainable development indicators (SDIs). In a consortium with the Vienna University of Economics and Business, INFRAS and the Haymarket Media Group, Ecologic Institute was drafting these monitoring reports for the years 2013 and 2015 on behalf of Eurostat. Ecologic covered the analysis on Natural Resources, Climate Change and Energy and Global Partnership.

Sustainable river basin planning and management are not "business-as-usual" approaches, creating exceptional challenges for water managers across Europe. To address these challenges, additional knowledge and know-how in designing dissemination activities and management approaches are needed. Ulf Stein from Ecologic Institute and Beatriz Medina from Amphos21 held a lecture on "Communicating Science" as part of the second WaterDiss2.0 Summer School.