In June of 2012, 20 years after the first UN Summit on sustainable development, the Rio +20 Conference took place in Rio de Janeiro. The conference agreed on the notion of a Green Economy and the concept of Sustainable Development Goals, however did not decide on their content. Instead, follow-up processes were initiated that are supposed to fill these general concepts with life. Ecologic Institute supports both processes as part of a project for the German Federal Environment Agency (Umwelbundesamt) and the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

In this book chapter, Sandra Cavalieri and R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute present policy options for the EU and the US for addressing challenges in the changing Arctic, summarizing key findings of the transatlantic Arctic Transform dialogue. The book "Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean" documents the proceedings of the 2010 NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Cambridge, England, that was initiated and co-convened by Ecologic Institute.

As part of the Berlin Program of Duke University of Durham, North Carolina, R. Andreas Kraemer will this fall again teach on European integration and environmental policy in the context of transatlantic relations.

On 7 December 2012, the Policy Studies Organization hosted the "Dupont Summit 2012: Pressing Issues amid the Political Maelstrom". The fourth annual Summit focused on the dissemination of scientific and technological information to researchers and decision-makers. Energy and climate change issues were highlighted as a theme this year. Dr. Grit Martinez, for Ecologic Institute Berlin, and Tanja Srebotnjak, for Ecologic Institute’s San Mateo office, were panelists on a session entitled "Local and Regional Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change: Sharing Good Practices and Comparative Analysis between the U.S. and Germany". Dr. Martinez and Dr. Srebotnjak were joined by Jeff Allenby of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

The better integration of renewable energy, the creation of more flexibility for variable renewable energy, and the optimization of network expansion are shared challenges that China and Europe face on the way to a low-carbon economy. These topics were the discussion of a Dinner Dialogue hosted by Ecologic Institute with an expert delegation from China.

Fifteen participants from different parts of Mexico who are spending a year in Germany with support from the "International Leadership Training (ILT)" programme in order to learn conceptual, holistic and anticipatory thought for sustainable business development, took part in the course, carried out at the International Education Center (IBZ) in Mannheim from 7 to 9 December 2012. Michael Mehling, President of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, delivered the course contents, drawing on training material developed previously for a project commissioned by the Academy of International Cooperation (AIZ).

The European Union-funded project DEMEAU kicked off on 8 and 9 November 2012 at Dunea, the water utility of The Hague and its surrounding area. This event marked the beginning of a three-year demonstration of promising technologies that tackle emerging pollutants in water and wastewater.