The Yearbook Ecology 2009 was published at the beginning of September 2008. Ecologic is one of the institutes supporting this yearbook. This year's focus is on the loss of biological diversity.

This study is a survey of current practice and possible development of measures in the field of sustainable development regarding large retailers. The study also develops a methodology to measure sustainable development in the field of large retailers.

Mainstream economic indicators such as GDP are useful measures with great influence on public and private decisions, but they are flawed as measures of human welfare and give little feedback on progress on environmental goals and sustainable development. This project, through both qualitative and quantitative analysis, aimed to develop new recommendation for indicators that measure progress in economic success, human well-being, environmental protection, and long-term sustainability.

The international conference "Beyond GDP" brought together over 650 participants to discuss how measures of progress, true wealth, and well-being can be improved and integrated into decision-making. Ecologic Institute led the project team organising the conference, which took place in November 2007 within the main chamber of the European Parliament and featured several high-level speakers, including Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, and José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

To contribute to a wider dissemination of information relevant to renewable energy and energy efficiency especially in the EU’s southern and eastern neighbouring countries, this  international Ministerial Conference under the German EU Presidency 2007 was organised by Ecologic.

The final symposium of the PICCMAT project (Policy Incentives for Climate Change Mitigation Agricultural Techniques) on 28 October 2008 in Brussels generated high interest among stakeholders. The agricultural sector will be under increased pressure in the future to contribute to the realization of ambitious climate change mitigation targets. Almost 90 participants from the farming, policy and scientific communities engaged in discussions on potential ways forward. The PICCMAT policy recommendations are available for download.

<p>&#13; Since the Security Council debated the security implications of climate change in April 2007, security aspects of climate change rank high on the political agenda of the UN. In a presentation at Haus Rissen Hamburg, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf discussed the contribution of the UN to environmental security.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; Border Adjustment Measures (BAM) have been discussed as a tool to equalize costs that industries with stringent greenhouse gas requirements have to bear, as some international competitors do not face these costs and allegedly enjoy a free ride. At a workshop of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf and Michael Mehling discussed whether BAM are an adequate tool to address competitiveness concerns arising from the EU's ambitious climate change policies.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; During a further vocational training for management assistants in the energy sector Ms. Hanna Schumacher gave an introduction to the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) with a focus on the amendment which will come into force in 2009.</p>&#13;

In "Environmental and Material Flow Costs Accounting", Christine M. Jasch, Ecologic Partner and Director of the Institute for Environmental Management and Economics (IÖW) in Vienna, explains and updates the approach developed for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DSD/UNDESA) and the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). The book also includes several case studies and recent developments regarding Environmental and Material Flow Cost Accounting (EMA and MFCA) in national statistics and ISO standardization.

<p>&#13; The Hertie School of Governance and Ecologic Institute cooperated on international energy and climate policies as agents of change. During the fall term of 2008, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Partner of Ecologic, taught a course on "International energy and climate policy" at the Hertie School of Governance.</p>&#13;