This report presents the conclusions of the study titled "Macro-economic / Top-down Assessment of Climate Impacts on the EU Economy." Commissioned to assist the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), the study explores how climate change-induced hazards may influence the EU's socio-economic landscape. Its central aim is to deliver both qualitative and quantitative perspectives on the broader macro-economic effects of significant climate hazards. It also investigates how these climate-related shocks ripple through different sectors of the economy. By compiling and analysing relevant data, the study provides a knowledge base to help the European Commission assess how such impacts could potentially challenge the EU’s ability to meet its climate mitigation objectives.

The bioeconomy concept presents an attractive framework for policymakers in Europe, as it holds the potential to foster innovations that match specific community needs with regionally available resources. The SCALE-UP project aims to enhance the capacity and expertise of multi-actor partnerships to accelerate the development of market-ready bio-based products and services while facilitating their successful market deployment. Additionally, SCALE-UP strengthens collaboration among primary producers, SMEs, industry clusters, social actors, and policymakers, promoting a cohesive approach to innovation.

On 25 March 2025, Ecologic Institute hosted an online workshop as part of the EU-funded 3-CO project, bringing together 21 participants from across Europe to discuss how policy can better support social innovation. The discussion centered on key barriers and policy recommendations, grouped into two areas: financial & regulatory and collaboration & networking challenges.

Across Europe, cities are feeling the growing impact of climate change – from prolonged heatwaves to more frequent and severe flooding. For local planners and decision-makers, responding to these complex challenges often means navigating tough decisions with limited guidance. To bridge this gap, the REACHOUT project has developed two new explainer videos that bring climate service tools to life. These short, accessible films introduce the Triple-A Toolkit – a practical, science-based platform designed to support urban adaptation and resilience planning.

The Ecologic Institute-led SCALE-UP project played a central role in the European Rural Circular Bioeconomy Conference (EuRCBC), held on 13 and 14 May 2025, at Comet Louise in Brussels. As a member of the Rural Bioeconomy Alliance, SCALE-UP – together with five other EU-funded projects – brought together stakeholders from local communities, policymaking, industry, and rural regions to explore concrete pathways for accelerating Europe's rural bioeconomy. Representatives from Ecologic Institute – Holger Gerdes, Zoritza Kiresiewa and Gerardo Anzaldúa – delivered insightful presentations and contributed to dynamic panel discussions.

A new analysis of 22 updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) shows that many EU Member States are falling short of the bloc’s 2030 climate targets. The study, led by Ecologic Institute in collaboration with the New Climate Institute and Reform Institute, identifies critical gaps in both ambition and implementation across key areas.

The Directorate-General for Climate Action of the European Commission hosted a half-day workshop on the design of an EU purchasing programme for permanent carbon removal. The workshop served as a platform to share ongoing research and to gather insights from funders, buyers, and policy experts about the motivations behind carbon removal investments and the prerequisites for a successful EU initiative.

As part of the EU-funded REACHOUT project, a comprehensive suite of climate service tools has been developed to support cities in addressing climate adaptation challenges. The newly released Guidelines for Climate Service Tools provide a structured overview of more than 20 technical and soft tools, as well as supporting consultancy services, all integrated into the Triple-A Toolkit – a web-based platform designed to enhance urban climate resilience. The tools address the full policy cycle of adaptation by covering the phases of Analysis, Ambition, and Action, and have been tested and refined through extensive co-creation with seven European City Hubs.

A new paper by the Ecologic Institute and Oeko-Institut discusses how to design climate target for Member States. The paper explores seven options how to best design national climate targets for the time after 2030. This paper is available for download.

The environmental crises caused by humans do not stop at the oceans. To effectively tackle these complex challenges, new forms of scientific cooperation are needed. This impulse paper argues in favour of strategically strengthened cooperation between the natural, technical, social and cultural sciences. It presents five key areas of development that should pave the way for more socially relevant marine research in the future - from reforms in education to structural outreach to society. Dr Grit Martinez from the Ecologic Institute, who has been committed to combining social science and humanities perspectives and environmental research for many years, contributed to this impulse paper.

Ecologic Institute, in partnership with Ramboll and I4CE, continues its collaboration with the European Environment Agency in supporting the understanding of costs of climate impacts and climate adaptation. The overall aim of this study is to extract, complement and compile quantitative information on the economic costs and socio-economic impacts of climate adaptation versus costs of inaction in EU27 Member States. The work builds on previous work conducted by the consortium for the EEA which serves as the methodological foundation for this project.

On 14 April 2025, 80 municipal representatives, researchers and urban planning experts came together to explore practical approaches to mitigating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. The workshop featured case studies from Athens, Milan, and Vienna, highlighting local adaptation strategies, analytical tools, and implementation mechanisms that support urban resilience.

In 2025, the Ecologic Institute marks an important milestone: 30 years of independent environmental research and policy engagement. On 30 June 2025, we gathered with our community of alumni, colleagues, funders, partners, and friends in Berlin to celebrate this special occasion.

The Plastic Pirates Plus project focuses on where participation in education needs to be particularly promoted: in school classes with a higher proportion of pupils from socially disadvantaged households. The aim is to give these young people access to the world of science through a low-threshold, practical programme – regardless of their financial or social circumstances. Participation in the project is free of charge and thus deliberately designed so that no child is excluded.

The publication “Locally rooted, globally connected” captures key lessons learned from the knowledge exchanges in the context of the transdisciplinary research and international cooperation between cities, researchers, city networks, and wider stakeholders from Europe and Latin America conducted in the frames of the INTERLACE project. Through partnerships across the two regions, the project highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of working across diverse cultural, institutional, and geographic contexts and demonstrated the importance of tailoring NbS to local contexts while balancing the need for comparability across regions.