This video displays the experiences of British Jane. She moves into a flat with integrated Smart Home technology, which does not fit her lifestyle. The video illustrates potential challenges of Smart Homes.

It is difficult to deny the fact that Earth's climate is changing. Almost all scientists consider the emission of greenhouse gases, mainly through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, to be one of the main reasons. The impacts of climate change include rising average and extreme temperatures, shifting patterns in snow- and rainfall, and rising sea levels. These changes threaten not only fragile ecological equilibria but also our economies and societies. Ecologic Institute's Senior Fellow Tanja Srebotnjak was involved in the indicator review for the report "Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012," published in December 2012 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The report aims to provide those working to improve senior health in San Mateo County with a wide variety of information on current and projected senior health. To achieve this, it relies on many sources of information, chief among them the San Mateo County Health System, specifically the Aging and Adult Services Division and the Health Policy and Planning Division. Their work is supplemented with statistics from the US Census Bureau, especially the American Community Survey, as well as a broad range of academic and policy studies, geospatial statistics and visualizations.

<p>The first in a series of workshops on the topic of fish protection and downstream migration highlighted the congruent and contradictory goals of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) as they relate to the topic of hydropower development and fish protection. A results paper (in German) presenting the detailed findings of the workshop is available for download.</p>&#13;

How can energy efficiency contribute to a successful "Energiewende" in Germany? Hans-Joachim Ziesing, Associate at Ecologic Institute, discusses this question in his article "Energy saving and energy efficiency in Germany" in the 2013 issue of the "Yearbook Ecology". He describes the "Energiewende" as a decision stemming from societal and political consensus in Germany. Its implementation, however, remains unclear. In a " Energy Efficiency Key Issues Report", the federal government addresses this issue: besides the promotion of Renewable Energy, more energy efficiency is necessary to successfully implement the "Energiewende".

In the early 2000s, biofuels were seen as a panacea for several environmental and economic challenges. In more recent years, however, their promotion has faded substantially. With the ongoing expansion of biofuel production worldwide, serious doubts have been raised about their sustainability and potential to reach environmental targets. This Ecologic Brief provides an assessment of the extent to which social aspects of biofuel production are addressed in current EU policies. It also explores possible ways of enhancing, reshaping, or extending existing policies in order to ensure the sustainable production of biofuels. The Ecologic Brief is available for download.

This European Policy Brief gives an overview of the results of the project "EPIGOV" which aims to co-ordinate and synthesise the research on environmental policy integration. The policy brief summarizes the objectives of the research, the scientific approach, as well as conclusions and impulses. Additionally, it provides key messages for policy makers, businesses, trade unions and civil society actors.

Handbook chapter on the promotion of the waste management recycling of biowastes under the German Life-Cycle Resource Management Act as amended in 2012 and on the incentives regime for the energy recovery from biowastes particularly in the electricity sector under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act as amended in 2011.

The climate summit 2010 in Cancún has mostly been considered a success. The revival of multilateralism has been prized as the most important outcome. However, it remains that the most difficult decisions, were postponed in Cancún. Michael Mehling of Ecologic Institute outlines the importance of the results for transatlantic relations. The article is available for download.

The workshop "Fish Protection &amp; Downstream Migration at Hydraulic Engineering Sites - What is Needed?" collectively addressed all aspects of fish protection and downstream fish migration that are relevant for dams and water extraction structures. The focal points of the workshop were the foundations of fish behavioral ecology, the technical installations used to achieve fish protection and downstream migration, and the functional evaluations of these systems. A results paper is now available for download.