The European Union needs a common vision for its energy future. A shift towards renewable energy sources will increase security of supply, improve the competitiveness of the European economy, and put Europe on a path towards sustainability. The Heinrich Böll Foundation commissioned a working group of experts from different backgrounds to provide a collection of policy ideas for two key areas that will define the future of renewable energy development in Europe: grids, and support and remuneration schemes for renewable energy technologies. The report 'A European Union for Renewable Energy' was co-authored by Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Partner of Ecologic Institute and Susanne Langsdorf, researcher at Ecologic Institute. The study is available for download.
<p>Effectively monitoring EU resource efficiency requires knowledge on the progress and achievements in the 27 EU member states. The project will compile country profiles for all 27 member states and undertake a EU summary analysis. Investigations will integrate literature review and indicator trend analysis.</p>
Ecologic Institute and GHK produced a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and cost efficiency of green infrastructure projects in the EU to solidify the understanding of this concept. The study was presented at the workshop "Insights from Green Infrastructure projects in the EU", held in Brussels on 17 January 2012. Given the cross-sectoral nature and relevance of the subject, attendees included representatives from DG Environment, DG Clima and DG Regio, amongst others. The study contributes to the EU’s post-2010 biodiversity policy and the development of the upcoming EU strategy on green infrastructure. The final report is available for download.
The EU target to raise the share of biofuels in transport to 10 % by 2020 remains one of the most controversial environmental policy decisions in recent years. In this book chapter written by Timo Kaphengst and Katharina Umpfenbach of Ecologic Institute together with Bernd Hirschl and Anna Neumann, the authors examine the role of scientific evidence and impact assessments in the policy process leading up to the adoption of the Renewable Energy Directive.
Industrialized countries have committed themselves to providing USD 100 billion of "new and additional" financing annually by the year 2020 to support developing countries in their efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects. But what does "new and additional" mean? Where do development projects end and where do climate change measures start? These questions are tackled by Irene Knoke (Südwind Institute) in a study for the European Parliament. Matthias Duwe (Ecologic Institute) provided his expert opinion in a peer review of the paper. The study is available for download.
At the end of March 2016, the European Union FP7 research project DYNAMIX came to a close. DYNAMIX aimed at proposing policy mixes that can foster shifting the EU onto a pathway where its resource use and the associated environmental impacts decline in absolute terms while the economy continues to thrive. This FP7 research project, led by Ecologic Institute, combined quantitative modeling and qualitative assessments to provide EU and national policy-makers with tangible support towards implementing resource efficiency policies.
The wide scope of the United Nations system permits coverage of a wide range of issues, but encounters challenges with institutional coordination, conflicting state interests and limited control over national or sub-national developments. Cross-sectoral work on climate, water, human security and conflict is limited, but improving. Overall, initiatives focusing on information collection and sharing, capacity-building and promoting cooperation are considered to have the highest potential for addressing climate and water-related human insecurity and conflict. The case study is available for download.
This case study reviews the effectiveness of EU-level policies and measures for addressing the impacts of climate change on water, conflict and human security. It draws attention to gaps in the current policy framework and outlines actors' expectations and demands for a future framework. The case study is available for download.
This case study provides an overview of the current policy framework in Morocco for addressing the impacts of climate change on water, conflict and human security. It presents insights into the effectiveness of Moroccan policies and examines actors' expectations and demands for a future policy framework. The case study is available for download.
This case study analyses policy-frameworks in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPT) which are relevant for addressing water-related impacts of climate change that could have negative impact on human security and conflict. The effectiveness of these policy frameworks is analyzed, based mainly on interviews with Israeli and Palestinian experts. The case study is available for download.
This case study for Ethiopia is a contribution to the study "Current policy frameworks for addressing climate-induced risks to human security and conflict – an assessment of their effectiveness and future perspectives".
This is the short version of a longer analysis of the effectiveness of policy frameworks for addressing hydro-climatic hazards and their impacts on human security and conflict, which is based mainly on interviews conducted with policy-makers and experts in Ethiopia, Morocco, Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories (oPT), as well as representatives of the EU and the UN. This short version is available for download.