An unprecedented donation by media mogul Ted Turner in 1997 resulted in the creation of a non-profit charity devoted to helping the United Nations achieve its objectives. The evolution, key activities and figures of the U.N. Foundation are briefly described in this article by Michael Mehling.

<p> Stakeholders and participants in the global carbon market convened in Washington DC at the annual Carbon Markets USA trade conference. Attendees examined the latest developments driving this evolving market, with a particular focus on the state of legislation in the United States and the progress in negotiations towards a global climate regime. Michael Mehling, president of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, was invited to address participants in the closing panel. In his address, he assessed the future outlook for climate negotiations and their implications for carbon markets around the globe.</p>

In this article, Ana Frelih Larsen examines the encounter between biosecurity and semi-subsistence producers in the Slovenian Alps. The article shows that biosecurity, as part of a broader shift in agri-food governance stemming from Slovenia's entry to the European Union, has dramatically reshaped the playing field for semi-subsistence producers, driving agricultural restructuring and diminishing farmers’ strategies of subsistence slaughter and informal marketing.

On 14 December 2009, the critically acclaimed documentary film “The End of the Line” had its German premiere in Berlin. It was the first major feature documentary film revealing the devastating impact of overfishing on our oceans. The screening (with German subtitles) was followed by a panel discussion on the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

<p>&#13; The Indiana University European Union Center organized a full-day conference entitled "European Union Regulatory Policy: Lessons for Indiana." Dominic Marcellino gave a presentation on the development of EU energy and climate policy over the past decade, pointing out trends and possible future developments, and highlighting implications for Indiana.</p>&#13;

The current economic crisis represents an opportunity for economic and ecological sustainable development. There exist chances for the short term as well as for the long term. Although, it should not be ignored that the crisis also contains risks for sustainable development.

<p>&#13; At the sixth and final EPOS Network Meeting that took place on the 15th and-16th October 2009 in Budapest, Doris Knoblauch presented the analysis of the stakeholder participation processes that took place within the federal or national sustainable development strategies in five European countries. The project revealed that a major challenge was how to deal with all the input generated through the participation processes.</p>&#13;

Environmental policy integration, i.e. the integration of environmental concerns into other policy fields, is becoming increasingly important. But how does environmental policy integration relate to different modes of governance? In their article, Ingmar von Homeyer and Doris Knoblauch present the results of the EPIGOV project.

<p>&#13; The potential for renewable energies is greater in the US than in Germany, and foundations can do much to unlock growth, help create jobs, stabilise communities, and phase out fossil energies and atomic power.  R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute presented the German experience at the EGA Fall Retreat in Anchorage, Alaska, on 2 October 2009.</p>&#13;

The greatest concern in Germany regarding climate change is that developments around the world might harm political stability in other countries, result in a loss of trade, induce migration, and ultimately cause conflict. In this article, R. Andreas Kraemer from the Ecologic Institute describes how Germany deals with this issue by proactively developing new energy solutions, setting effective energy policies domestically, and promoting good climate policy abroad.