The growing importance of international law for global climate cooperation is underscored in a new book chapter by Michael Mehling and Arturo Brandt, which recently appeared in the first manual on international environmental law for a Spanish-speaking audience. "Derecho Internacional del Medio Ambiente", a new collection of essays from Cameron May Publishing, covers the foundations of international environmental law, key environmental regimes, and topics of relevance for environmental protection at a global level.

<p>On 11 July 2011, Max Grünig, Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, delivered a presentation on the transportation sector: possibilities for substitution and elasticity of demand in mineral oil consumption at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).</p>&#13;

How to spread innovation effectively? How can we bridge the gap between researchers and the target audience, thereby increasing the use of research results? How can we maximize the use and uptake of research results through dissemination? These were among the questions discussed at the WaterDiss2.0 Consensus Conference: Expediting the Transfer of European Water Research, organized as part of the WaterDiss2.0 project on Dissemination and uptake of FP water research results.

The Yearbook Ecology 2011 focuses on geo-engineering as an important alternative to the policy of reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. Two prominent technology variants are presented in detail, and the pros and cons of geo-engineering are carefully mapped and evaluated. Other chapters are devoted to related developments in law, business and civil society. The Ecologic Institute is one of the institutes supporting the yearbook and has contributed a chapter to the 2011 edition.

The objective of this project is to produce short, easy to understand, and attractive videos about green economy and poverty eradication. Selected EU sustainable development indicators are presented in the videos. The videos are designed for a general audience with no specific prior knowledge about sustainable development indicators but with a general interest in the topic. The goal of creating the videos is to raise public awareness about sustainable development and its statistical monitoring.

As part of the German Energy Agency's Annual Conference of Biogas Partnerships, Dr. Wolfgang Urban (Ecologic Institute) informed the participants about the role of biogas in the Renewable Energies Act (EEG). He explained the political guidelines of the Germany Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and presented monitoring results as well as principal changes in the new EEG. The presentation slides are available for download.

With the impending nuclear energy phase out, how can the energy system successfully adapt and rebuild? What concepts and which alliances are necessary for the transition from a fossil- nuclear world to the solar era? The Ecology Yearbook 2012 addresses these fundamental issues from economic, social, and technical perspectives. It keeps track of which options can lead to a green transformation, but also looks at unresolved environmental conflicts, which can only be addressed through innovators and new and transformative research. The Ecologic Institute is one of the institutes supporting the yearbook and has contributed a chapter to the 2012 edition.

How do decision makers in Poland and the Baltic states perceive climate change and climate change adaptation? What impact will climate change have in coastal regions, and how can stakeholders there prepare themselves? What information is available to them? What programs have already been implemented? A series of workshops organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with various partners has addressed these questions. The workshops in Szczecin, Gdansk, Klaipeda, and Riga were commonly organized by members of the Baltadapt, "Regional availability of climate knowledge in the Baltic Sea region" (Circum Mare Balticum) and RADOST projects. The presentations are available for download.

Fostering sustainable industries and industrial development requires the use of effective indicators. Though a multitude of indicators exist, their applicability to sustainable industries remains largely unaddressed to date. In this project, Ecologic Institute reviewed scientific knowledge in order to evaluate existing indicators and derive recommendations concerning their usability and potential need for further indicator development. Ecologic Institute published a shorter version of the project results as a policy brief. The policy brief is available for download.

This article provides a stock-take of the state of the European Union's (EU) position heading into the climate change negotiations in Durban in late 2011. A long-time champion of an effective global system under the auspices of the UN, the EU finds itself in a difficult position as the future of the Kyoto Protocol is seen to being a stake at the summit in South Africa. With a number of other industrialised countries jumping ship and declaring their unwillingness to continue the Protocol in a Second Commitment Period, the EU is feeling ever more exposed and under pressure to declare for the continuation of Kyoto.

Elizabeth Tedsen, Transatlantic Fellow, attended the International Arctic Legal Forum: "Protection and Sustainable Development of the Arctic: Legal Aspects" in Salekhard (Russia) and presented Ecologic Institute's EU Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment projects. The Forum brought together Russian and international policymakers, attorneys, researchers, and diplomats to discuss changes in the Arctic and ideas for sustainable development in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and beyond.