"Investing in Ecology and Peace: Perspectives of Transatlantic Cooperation" was the theme of a conference at the Protestant Academy of Loccum, Germany, organised in cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation, the Heinrich Boell Foundation, and the UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) of the United Nations Environment Programme. R. Andreas Kraemer prepared the discussion on "How to Prevent Wars over Natural Resources?", thereby responding to the Worldwatch Institute's "State of the World 2005" summary presented by Michael Renner.

The ongoing decline in biodiversity threatens fundamental ecosystem functions. An increased fragmentation of habitats in continental Europe has yielded a gradual loss in animal species and plants which jeopardizes human utilization of natural resources. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to halt this trend, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes nature protection cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to nature protection for its European neighbours and Russia. The guide is available for download in four different languages.

Industrial production processes account for a considerable share of the overall pollution in Europe. To minimize harmful effects on the environment and push for environmentally sound technology, the EU’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control policy (IPPC) requires polluting operators to obtain environmental permits for running their industrial installations. By doing so, the policy aims at providing incentives for clean technologies and eventually excluding irresponsible polluters. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to implement IPPC standards within the Union, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to pollution prevention and control for its European neighbours and Russia.

Human activities exert pressure on water. Overexploitation and water pollution, especially in Eastern European countries, threaten future availability of clean water. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to halt this trend, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes water policy cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to sustainable use and management of water for its European neighbours and Russia.

Access to information on the environment is an indispensible precondition for effective environmental policies. If this access is denied, neither the public sector nor the private sector is capable of making environmentally sound decisions. Willing to complement the EU's efforts to grant such access, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes environmental policy cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to EC horizontal environmental legislation for its European neighbours and Russia.

Air pollution damages human health and natural ecosystems. The enormous magnitude of long-range automotive transport as well as stationary sources such as combustion plants contribute to the depletion of biodiversity and natural resources. Willing to complement the EU’s efforts to halt this trend, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes air protection policy cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to air protection for its European neighbours and Russia.

Uncontrolled landfills, excessive littering and an increasing share of electronic waste pose a threat to human health and the environment. To address these problems, the EU has established a waste hierarchy which prioritises the management and treatment of waste. The prevention of unnecessary waste production and the utilization of waste as a source of energy rank at the top of the list. Willing to complement the EU's efforts to improve waste management practices within the Union, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) promotes cooperation between the EU and its Eastern and Southern neighbours. To support the effort, the European Commission has issued a guide to environmentally sound waste management for its European neighbours and Russia.

<p>&#13; At the EnergyAgency.NRW expert conference on future energies, expert speakers addressed the subject of efficient energy generation, especially regarding biomass, energy storage, geothermal energy, wind energy research and power plant technology. Aaron Best, Ecologic Senior Fellow, spoke in the opening plenary session, highlighting the nascent energy and climate policies of the new Obama administration.</p>&#13;

<p>The exchange of experiences related to the treatment and reuse of wastewater in the Mediterranean region and Europe was the purpose of the INNOVA-Med capacity building course in Ismailia, Egypt. Cornelius Laaser, Researcher at Ecologic, presented precautionary and mitigation measures in agricultural wastewater reuse, based on a case study from Wolfsburg, Germany.</p>

Rural development policies and the promotion of innovation represent the basis for the successful development of rural areas. In this context, the assessment of innovative initiatives and projects alongside the analysis of the status quo and obstacles to innovations are crucial. In this article, Sandra Naumann (Ecologic) and Andreas Frangenberg (FNL), propose a set of indicators to qualitatively evaluate the sustainability and the success of innovation projects. In addition, this publication presents the results of a comprehensive review on innovations in rural regions.

This brochure provides a general survey and overview of the range of topics addressed by the Ecologic Institute. It includes examples of relevant events and projects, and key financial information. The brochure captures the essence of the Ecologic Institute at a crucial time in our development. The past years have brought consistent growth, increasing diversification, strong management, and the establishment of a number of offices and subsidiaries.

This scoping study aims at identifying gaps in knowledge about the economics of biodiversity loss and makes suggestions for future research. It is a component of a larger Review on Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) prepared for the COP-9 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which took place in May 2008 in Bonn.

<p> Ecologic Institute Senior Fellow Dr Ingmar von Homeyer gave a lecture on the challenges of implementing EU environmental framework directives. The lecture was part of an expert-workshop on recent developments in EU environmental policy. Ingmar von Homeyer explained the distinctive implementation requirements of different types of EU environmental framework directives.</p>

The objective of this study was to compare different waste management technologies. The most appropriate technologies were defined, as well as the best ways for their implementation. Furthermore, policy instruments for promotion of these technologies were evaluated.