The Commission's proposal for Article 10 of the Regulation for the Governance of the Energy Union (GReg) and the related positions of the Council and the Parliament are currently being negotiated. In this report Ecologic Institute's Dr. Heidi Stockhaus analyses the proposals in the light of the EU’s obligations under the Aarhus Convention and highlights the shortcomings that need to be addressed.
The EU's current rules on climate action are comprehensive and detailed. However, they lack many of these features. In this sense, the existing EU acquis falls short of what countries and regions have adopted. It also falls short of what the full implementation of the Paris Agreement implies. The Regulation on Governance for the Energy Union and Climate Action addresses a number of existing shortcomings. It is a strong foundation for a Climate Law for Europe. However, gaps remain that should be filled in a reform. These are the main findings of a recently updated paper of Ecologic Institute, which is available for download.
The DEMEAU project followed a solutions-oriented approach using applied research and demonstration sites, and explored four promising technologies for emerging contaminants removal and/or degradation: Managed Aquifer Recharge, Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Filtration, Automatic Neural Net Control Systems and Advanced Oxidation Techniques.
Hydromorphological alterations for drainage are widespread pressures on water bodies in Europe. Because of the importance of the water uses relying on drainage schemes, such as agriculture and urban areas, not all necessary restoration measures can be taken without significant adverse effect on the water use. Therefore many of the affected water bodies have been designated as heavily modified (HMWB). Still, in a substantial number of these water bodies, some mitigation measures should be taken to reach Good Ecological Potential (GEP). The report, edited by Ecologic Institute's Dr. Eleftheria Kampa and Dr. Josselin Rouillard, is available for download.
One of the core activities for the Common Implementation Strategy Working Group ECOSTAT between 2013 and 2017 has been to try to compare the ecological quality expected by different countries for water bodies impacted by flood protection. The process involved the use of a number of workshops and questionnaires to collect relevant information from European water managers. This report, edited by Dr. Eleftheria Kampa (Ecologic Institute) and Martina Bussettini, is based on information collected via a template on mitigation measures for water bodies impacted by flood defence structures, which was completed by 18 countries. The report is available for download.
Work Package 3 (WP3) of the ENABLE-project aimed to analyze citizen perceptions of and preferences for various CES provided by GBI. It also identified potential means to integrate such knowledge and information in municipal planning processes. This report presents the research results of the work package.
The long-term transformation to a low-carbon economy requires innovation in technology and existing practices in all sectors of the economy. The Innovation Fund under the EU Emissions Trading System is meant to support such innovation projects in industry and energy. According to analysis by the Ecologic Institute, the IF should focus on break-through projects with a high additional emission reduction effect and provide adequate financing conditions that allow also for high risk projects to be supported.
This report presents the key concepts, definitions, and implementation approaches for SDG 15.3 on "Land Degradation Neutrality" (LDN). It discusses options for implementing LDN in Germany and suggests a proxy indicator based on land use changes. For this purpose, the core ideas, definitions and implementation approaches of the LDN concept are presented at the international level and a seven-stage procedure for national implementation is developed. This report by Ecologic Institute is available for download.
This report by Ecologic Institute deals in particular with the European discussion on the implementation of the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) concept. It deals with the European peculiarities of implementation and develops an indicator based on land-use changes. The report is available for download.
The short analysis by Mandy Hinzmann gives an overview of the different positions on laboratory-produced artificial meat and shows the lines of argumentation of different stakeholder groups in Germany. The study is available for download.
Building on the idea - namely that an open and informed dialogue on complex topics such as the bioeconomy and engaging with variety of stakeholders and the general public may bring the concept of the bioeconomy closer to the society - BioSTEP experimented with different participatory tools including workshops, living lab activities, and exhibitions. This report describes the lessons learned from BioSTEP’s engagement activities and provides recommendations for future EU research.
Estimates of the EU's greenhouse gas emission budgets for the rest of the century vary considerably but have one thing in common: The EU's emission budget is very small and shrinking rapidly. If the EU's emission budgets were based only on least-costs considerations, it would range between meager 50 Gt (in 1.5°scenarios) or 90 Gt (in 2°C scenarios) for the period 2020 and 2100. With current annual emissions of about 4 Gt, the EU would have used up its 1.5°C budget by about 2032. These new Ecologic Institute report is available for download.
The Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule was proposed by former U.S. president Trump's Energy Secretary Rick Perry in September 2017. The goal was to introduce a multibillion-dollar incentive program for power plants in large parts of the U.S. that can store at least 90 days of fuel supplies on site. Beneficiaries would be coal-fired and nuclear power plants only. The rationale given was to strengthen the resilience of power systems. This report analyzes the electricity market policies under Trump.
Ecologic Institute analysed how three key elements of the Paris Agreement are being taken up in the EU: the long-term objectives, the 5-year pledge & review process and the planning instrument "long-term strategies".