The Ecologic Institute hosted a dinner dialogue on the 7 September 2011, featuring a discussion of the ongoing process of developing alternative welfare indicators in Europe and its inherent challenges and rewards. Klaus Rennings of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and Oliver Zwirner from DG Environment of the European Commission provided introductions into the subject and kick started a lively discussion on indicators and their development.

The Arctic Summer College 2011, hosted by Ecologic Institute, provides a platform for Arctic researchers to debate and develop ideas about a range of issues facing Arctic decision-makers, such as: Arctic economic, environmental and security policy; the impacts of large scale energy projects at the regional scale; and approaches to ecosystem-based management.

Ecologic Institute hosted the fourth green salon of the American Voices Abroad on the 16^th of August 2011. Three introductory presentations by Lucas Porsch, Tanja Srebotnjak and Rich Rosen on the need for and the challenges of Beyond GDP indicators triggered a lively discussion on the information needs of policy makers that aim at sustainability. To this end, important similarities and differences were examined in the attitudes to welfare measurement in Europe and the US.


This study investigates the prevailing theories about the effect of trade openness on environmental quality and resource management, providing new insights and empirical support to refute some of these theories. It builds on data collected through the Yale-Columbia 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which covers 163 countries and an extensive database of trade-related measures from academic and international sources. Senior fellow Tanja Srebotnjak contributed statistical analyses to the study. It is available for download.

The project accompanied the development of the EU emission trading system (ETS) with regard to the third trading period which started 2013, containing major changes such as new allocation rules and the inclusion of aviation. Furthermore, the CCS directive and limiting the energy demand in the housing sector were part of the project. Ecologic Institute provided economic and legal analyses for the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the development and implementation of new concepts and legislation.

How can philanthropists make informed and responsible choices when investing the endowment of their foundation? How can they avoid destroying with their investments what they seek to protect with their grants? R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute makes concrete suggestions in his article in the summer 2011 Philanthropy Letter of the Fondation de Luxembourg.

At the International Water Association's Symposium on Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Waste and Energy Crops, Dr. Wolfgang Urban (Ecologic Institute) shared insights into "Experience and Future Perspectives of Biomethane in the Natural Gas Grid in Germany". After presenting the legal framework and economic circumstances of biogas feed-in, he outlined future challenges and introduced selected biogas feed-in projects in Germany. The presentation slides are available for download.

A conference on "The Arctic Ocean Beyond National Jurisdiction" at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 24 to 27 July 2011 explored the opportunities and challenges of expanded human use and options for future governance of the Central Arctic Ocean. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute participated as invited expert contributor in the conference.

On behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency, Ecologic Institute conducted a study on the impacts of individual tourism in Antarctica. The report "A Sustainable Tourism Concept for Antarctica" sheds light on possible approaches to tourism management and develops a set of recommendations for a sustainable tourism concept in Antarctica.</p>&#13;&#13;