Ecologic Institute and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (previously GKSS) conducted an online survey with regional political stakeholders from the German Baltic Sea coast in spring 2011. Eleven hundred actors at the community level in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein were surveyed on their perceptions of climate-induced changes in their communities and possible measures for adapting to climate change. They were also questioned on their experience with using regional climate data and its use in political practice. The report is available for download.

After two years of project work, the second annual report of RADOST (Regional adaption measures for the German Baltic Sea Coast) presents research results and experiences of cooperation with political decision makers in ministries, administrations and communities. The annual report is available for download.

The international conference on Renewable Energy Self-Sufficiency (RESS), a relatively new scientific field, took place from 14 to 16 September in Freiburg. Organised by the University of Freiburg, the conference attracted scientists and academically interested practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines who are working towards comprehensive strategies to increase the proportion of renewable energies in energy systems. Timo Kaphengst, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, was invited for a key note speech on some of the fundamental questions related to Renewable Energy Self-Sufficiency. The presentation is available for download.

How should policy measures that aim at influencing consumer decisions be designed and evaluated? In this policy brief, the authors summarize their findings with regard to the environmental impacts of consumption, using the concept of behavioural economics.

This is the final report for the first assessment of the Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme for SMEs (ECAP). The report is submitted by AEA and Ecologic Institute, the consultants appointed to conduct this evaluation.

The Europe 2020 Strategy sets the goal for the European Union to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive community by 2020. The 27 EU Member States must provide the European Commission with National Reform Programmes (NRPs) demonstrating how they are implementing the Europe 2020 goals and targets. This study is a review of all 27 NRPs regarding the role of local and regional authorities (LRA). The study is available for download.

The international negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol have been shaped by the negotiations over a future climate regime. This includes the design of the regime beyond the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period in the year 2012. Ecologic Legal provides expert advice to the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, especially on the development and assessment of German and EU positions. The project builds on the work of the earlier project "Legal and institutional aspects of the international post-2012-climate negotiations".

From 22 to 26 August 2011 the Vereinigung für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (VÖW) organized a summerschool on "Sustainable Production Chains" together with the Humboldt University of Berlin. Part of the diverse programme for PhD and master students was a seminar held at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim (ATB) on renewable energies with a special focus on bioenergy and biomass from agro-forest systems. In his presentation Timo Kaphengst, Coordinator for Biodiversity and Forest at Ecologic Institute, highlighted different sustainability challenges within the biomass production chain and presented current policy responses on EU and German level. The presentation can be downloaded.

In light of the increasing importance of climate change, a number of related legislative activities in Germany have occurred. However the resulting climate change law is incomplete and not always coherent. Professor Michael Rodi from the University of Greifswald and Ecologic Institute analysed German federal climate change law and developed proposals for its advancement. The legal study on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency is available for download.

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.