<p>&#13; Successive policy challenges and EU enlargement have added layers of policy, legislation, and institutions to create the current European system for addressing environment, climate, energy, and sustainable development. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute speak on policy international policy learning before a GIZ delegation from China in.</p>&#13;

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans offer a unique insight into the energy policy context of each EU Member State. For a comparative analysis of six European action plans, Katharina Umpfenbach and Stephan Sina contributed a review of Germany's action plan.

Further development of combined heat and power plants (CHP), which would serve to promote climate protection, still lacks clear political support. This is the conclusion of a study on the profitability of CHP conducted by Hans-Joachim Ziesing, Senior Policy Advisor at Ecologic Institute, and Felix Matthes on behalf of the Association of Municipally Enterprises (VKU) in Germany.

Longer and warmer summers on the German Baltic Sea coast: this is a possible implication of climate change that could certainly also serve as an opportunity for the tourism sector. At the same time however, negative impacts such as increased algae growth are also expected. Communities and stakeholders in the coastal region will have to adapt to these impacts in the near future. In the first RADOST annual report, the RADOST project partners present both impacts and possible adaptation strategies in the fields of coastal protection, tourism, water management and agriculture, ports and marine economy, renewable energy and conservation and land use.

<p>&#13; Part of the project "Transatlantic Opportunities for Meeting Global Challenges in Energy Efficiency and Low Carbon Technology", Dominic Marcellino (Ecologic Institute Fellow) presented the results of a research paper, which was written with Christiane Gerstetter, at a conference in Berkeley, California. The conference, held at University of California, Berkeley, on 11 and 12 February 2011, where researchers delivered initial results.</p>&#13;

Ecologic Institute writes a legal commentary on the German PRTR-Act. Under this law and an EU-Regulation, operators of certain installations in Germany have to report data on pollutants for publication in a German as well as to a European pollutant release and transfer register (PRTR). The legal commentary is mainly addressed at authorities and operators to facilitate the application of the rules without in-depth knowledge on their legal background.

Sandra Cavalieri, Fellow and Arctic Programme Coordinator at Ecologic Institute, spoke to decision-makers, scientists and industry experts on the environmental impacts of Arctic Shipping at the Symposium on Arctic shipping held at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin on 22 February. The presentation is available for download.

At an event hosted by the Mexican Embassy, Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute and Secretary Miriam Medel of the Mexican Embassy in Berlin discussed the results of the latest international climate negotiations which were held in Cancún, Mexico, end of 2010. The event was opened by the Mexican Ambassador Francisco N. González Diaz. The dialogue was initiated by Ecologic Institute's Ecoscholars.

Fukushima has been a painful reminder that each energy source has its drawbacks, and none comes without side effects. To realise our ambitious climate objectives, we must above all stop wasting energy and use energy in a much smarter and more efficient way. This is not a new insight, but turning this insight into action has proven remarkably difficult. How the existing obstacles to energy efficiency can be overcome, and which initiatives have worked successfully for Germany and the UK so far, was the topic of a discussion event at the UK Embassy in Berlin, moderated by Benjamin Görlach, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute.

<p>&#13; The Green Group marked World Water Day on 22 March 2011, highlighting the importance of water and energy security in international relations. Samuel Zbogar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, initiated an expert discussion, the results of which were delivered to UN Ambassadors meeting in New York.  R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute moderated the event.</p>&#13;