This report provides an independent, systematic analysis of the structures, activities, and impacts of Germany’s Energy, Climate, Development, and Raw Materials Partnerships (ECDRPs). A particular focus lies on the partnerships with countries of the Global South. Based on the analysis, the report provides recommendations for the development of Germany’s partnerships by answering the central question: How can Germany's ECDRPs be made as impactful as possible and more transformative for a resilient transition towards climate neutrality in Germany and its partner countries?

This study aims to contribute to the further development of the Member States' reporting to the EU with regard to the National Energy and Climate Change Plans (NECPs), especially with regard to the national progress reports, the NECP updates and a possible revision of the Governance Regulation. The authors developed an in-depth understanding of the selected PaMs and the methodological and systemic uncertainties involved in their ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment.

The latest "Green Deal – Big Deal?" podcast episode, hosted by Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best of Ecologic Institute, features interview guests Professor Johan Lilliestam of the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) and Dr. Andrzej Ancygier of Climate Analytics. During the discussion, they shed light on the past, present and future of renewables in the EU, describing the major market shifts, policy events and technological developments that have made renewable energy one of the most exciting facets of achieving sustainability in Europe.

This paper examines to what extent and how Member States have met the obligation to carry out multilevel climate and energy dialogues. It does so on the basis of national reporting on the mandatory implementation of multilevel climate and energy dialogues (MLCEDs) against the requirements set out in Article 11 of the Governance Regulation.

The issue of fish protection and downstream fish migration is discussed intensively - even controversially - between and within the individual disciplines and areas of competence, both from a technical and an environmental policy perspective. The German Participatory Forum on Fish Protection and Downstream Migration has been dedicated to this discussion since 2012. This report, which concludes the German Participatory Forum on Fish Protection and Downstream Migration summarizes a selection of key issues from the forum's workshops across six central topics.

Due to changing climatic conditions, the state government of Baden-Württemberg committed to update its adaptation strategy in 2023. This compact information highlights the measures from the state strategy in which municipalities have an important role to play. It is intended to help them define and implement, or work towards implementing, the measures necessary for their local conditions and risks. It provides a compact overview for municipalities on their way to adapt to the consequences of climate change.

The adaptation strategy provides the framework for the adaptation activities of the state of Baden-Württemberg and serves as a basis for implementation, especially for administration, municipalities and the economy. Due to changing climatic conditions, the state government of Baden-Württemberg committed to update its adaptation strategy in 2023. This short version summarizes the contents of the adaptation strategy.

Ecologic Institute provided editorial and graphical support for the update of the adaptation strategy in Baden-Württemberg. Using graphical elements and a well-designed reader guidance, the reading orientation was improved and the visual quality of the document was increased. In addition to the graphic design, Ecologic Institute provided support for the drafting of several chapters, e.g. on climate change impacts, summarized sectoral adaptation challenges and developed an abridged version of the update of the adaptation strategy.

Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, global efforts towards achieving net zero emissions have been intensifying. However, progress has been sluggish, and current pledges and commitments fall far short of what is needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C by 2050. To achieve net zero emissions worldwide, a substantial deployment of renewable energy technologies and resilient supply chains is essential. This policy brief examines the critical role that the G20 can play in promoting cooperation and coordination to enhance the resilience of renewable energy supply chains.

This policy brief takes stock of the existing JETPs and draws some preliminary conclusions. More-over, it discusses some of the challenges JETP face and how JETPs may be improved. Lastly, we outline some recommendations for the G7 and G20.

Households across Germany felt the weight of 2022's energy crisis, grappling with a dramatic increase in energy prices. Overall energy costs in Germany surged by 31% in 2022 compared to the previous year. To combat the adverse impacts of the 2022 energy crisis, Germany passed three major relief packages in 2022. This country briefing paper describes Germany’s policy response to the energy crisis of 2022 and provides a microsimulation-based summary of the distributional effects of energy price shocks on German households.

The Commission's proposal on the Carbon Removals Certification Framework puts the EU on a dangerous track that facilitates replacing emission reductions with removals. Integrating carbon removals into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme carries similar risks. Effectively, the debate on the role of carbon removals puts EU climate policies at a cross-roads.

The 2023 edition of the EU SDG indicator set consists of 100 indicators structured along the 17 SDGs and covering the social, economic, environmental and institutional dimensions of sustainability as represented by the 2030 Agenda. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). The publication is available for download.

The 2023 publication is Eurostat's seventh regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). The publication is available for download.

Carbon pricing is gaining traction around the world, as more and more jurisdictions implement emissions trading systems or tax carbon emissions to achieve their climate objectives. The annual "State and Trends of Carbon Pricing" is the flagship report of the World Bank to provide a concise, up-to-date overview of what is happening in this field. With over 70,000 annual downloads, it is one of the most prominent publications on this matter.

This paper addresses a gap by providing a conceptual basis to further the understanding of security implications of the EU’s transformation to a net-zero economy. It first defines the aspects of security under consideration (Section 2) and proposes a typology to classify fossil fuel exporting countries based on their exposure to world market prices, their capacity to adjust and their importance to the EU in terms of security issues (Section 3). It then takes stock of policy options that can be adopted in other countries to reduce adjustment costs to a changed economic environment (Section 4) and discusses how the EU can support these policies (Section 5). Finally, it highlights key implications for EU policy makers (Section 6).

This briefing, co-authored by Raffaele Piria (Ecologic Institute), analyzes the contents of the two Delegated Acts (DA) adopted by the European Commission on 10 February 2023. These provide detailed rules on the conditions under which electricity used to produce hydrogen may be counted as fully renewable according to European Union (EU) law, and on the methodology for assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings from hydrogen-based renewable fuels (so-called renewable fuels of non-biological origin, RFNBOs) and for recycled carbon fuels (RCFs).

This policy brief aims to support the work of NGOs and think tanks by developing elements of a green hydrogen agenda for the G20. Based on an analysis of the heterogeneous interests and agenda of the G20 countries, the first part discusses the challenges and opportunities of the G20 as a forum for shaping the emerging markets for hydrogen and hydrogen-based products into a direction that is compatible with climate neutrality. The second section outlines the governance challenge of ensuring the environmental and social sustainability of hydrogen production and use. Finally, it develops options on how to advance a green hydrogen agenda in the G20.