Since the 1992 Dublin and Rio de Janeiro conferences, the river basin approach to the management of water resources has become more and more established. This trend reached its preliminary apex in Europe with the Water Framework Directive (WFD), which binds all Member States to this approach in order to achieve its ambitious goals. In the issue 7/2008 of the journal "KW Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft", Stefan von Keitz (biologist) and Peter Kessler (lawyer), Senior Policy Advisor with Ecologic, put this approach to test and deliver a series of arguments for a restricted use of the river basin management approach. In the journal’s following issue (8/2008), Prof. Uwe Grünewald (hydrologist) disagrees with this position and argues for a consistent application of an integrated water management approach with the river basin as its basic unit.

<p>&#13; This workshop from 28-29 August 2008 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) aimed towards a common understanding between representatives of Latin America, Asia, Europe and the US on future biofuel development. Timo Kaphengst outlined in his presentation the renewable energy policy of the European Union, more specifically the main controversies within decision-making bodies of the EU on biofuel targets and sustainability standards.</p>&#13;

On 14 October 2008 Greenpeace published a study on illegal timber imports to Germany which was compiled by Ecologic. The study analyses how illegal timber imports impact the economic viability of the timber and forestry industries in Germany. The study shows that the substantial long-term economic damage can result from reputation problems, price dumping and the unsustainable use of the industry’s resource base. On the 17th of October 2008 the European Commission unveiled a legislative proposal for combating imports and trade from illegal wood sources. Greenpeace criticizes the proposal for not going far enough. They demand concrete penalty measures for the possession and trade of wood from illegal sources.

In recent years, the debate on trade and the environment seemed to lose some of its earlier controversy: after a string of highly polarizing cases before the WTO, the Appellate Body’s Article 21.5 Implementation Report in the Shrimp/Turtle case appeared to finally herald a period of reconciliation between free trade and environmental concerns. Upon closer analysis, however, this assessment proves to be misleading: as a matter of substantive law, the chasm between both issue areas is still substantial.

In a Discussion Paper for the German Development Institute (DIE), Sascha Müller-Kraenner analyses the energy-related foreign policies of China and India, both "anchor countries" with fast-growing economies. Their quest for energy security as well as climate policy have become defining elements of both countries' foreign policies, a fact that the EU and the US must respond to.

The participation requirements (§14) of the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) launched, for the first time, a broader discussion about participatory approaches in water management. Still, the demand for policies, which are oriented toward the public and public participation, is nothing new. Many forms of participation have been known and tested since the 70s and 80s. Most of them emerged from city and regional planning projects and discussions. In this book, the INTERREG III B project "RhineNet" presents its experiences based on its own as well as external case studies regarding the participation requirements of the WFD in the Rhine basin area.

The hope for a reversal in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions – especially CO2-emissions – was not fulfilled again this year. Nevertheless, greenhouse gas emissions in Annex-B-countries, which (except the USA) committed to emissions caps or reductions, decreased in 2007 by 0.7% from 2006 levels – by 16% from 1990 levels. Ecologic Policy Advisor Hans-Joachim Ziesing’s article, published in "Energiewirtschaftliche Tagesfragen" Vol. 58, Issue 9, presents an overview of trends in the development of global C02 emissions and greenhouse gas emissions in Annex-B-countries, from 1990 to 2007.

The study analyses how illegal timber imports impact the economic viability of the timber and forestry industries in Germany. On the basis of expert interviews and statistics, the study shows that the substantial long-term economic damage can result from reputation problems, price dumping and the unsustainable use of the industry’s resource base. The paper concludes with policy recommendations.