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".

The study analyses the coverage of environmental impacts in EU impact assessments and identifies lessons for Germany and the European Union. The focus is on how environmental effects – qualitatively, quantitatively and in monetary terms – are taken into account in the EU impact assessment process, especially in comparison to economic and social impacts. The study is available for download.

EUROSTAT has issued its 2017 edition on Sustainable Development in the European Union. The report provides an updated snapshot of the current situation concerning a selected number of indicators related to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This 'lite' version of the 2017 monitoring report makes use of the universal language of visuals, offering a shortcut to the essence of the messages delivered through the full version of the monitoring report. It thus provides a snapshot of the key trends related to sustainable development in the European Union. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The publication is available for download.

Engaging the public on science and sustainable consumption: the how-to guide published in the pilot report "A Taste of the Future of the Seas" explains how to organize fun and impactful popular-scientific events, with a special focus on sustainable food. The guide, published by Ecologic Institute, is part of the Science Year 2016*17 – Seas and Oceans and is available for download in German.

This report addresses the design and the implementation of two financial instruments which can help increase the financial resources available for water resources management: "water charges" and "payments for ecosystem services". Both instruments involve a greater participation of water users or beneficiaries in covering the costs associated with the provision of the water resources management service. The report is available for download in English and Spanish.

13 case studies from different parts of the world are presented in this report as examples for policy-makers and stakeholders interested in developing long-term climate policy frameworks that are compatible with the Paris Agreement.

This commentary on the SchadRegProtAG is primarily intended as a legal working aid for practice and is aimed at the enforcement authorities and the operators of potentially reportable operating facilities.

This report has been prepared as part of work-package 5 of the FIThydro project on Fishfriendly Innovative Technologies for Hydropower. It aims at investigating the regulatory landscape influencing actions relevant to environmental improvements in the context of planning and operating hydropower plants. Emphasis is given to the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive, nature protection policies and policies on renewable energy and climate change adaptation, thereby outlining opportunities, barriers and challenges in reaching multiple environmental objectives. The report is available for download.

Successful innovations require more than a great idea and technical expertise – they need a market. The BRIGAID Market Analysis Framework (MAF+) aims to support innovators to identify market opportunities, tune their innovations to meet actual market needs, and develop their business strategy. This document proposes how an innovator, a supporting partner, and an observer (i.e. the intended users of the MAF+) will interact with the online portal. The aim is to clearly lay out the path these users will follow and define the required software functionality at each step of the assessment. The document served as a blueprint to guide the web development of the MAF+ online portal. Detailed explanations of the 12 exercises are included in the annex, which compiles the draft templates used to inform the development of the portal. The report is available for download.

The EU is currently negotiating a comprehensive reorientation of energy and climate policy for the decade 2020-2030. In this strategy brief, Katharina Umpfenbach discusses how the next German federal government can shape the EU negotiations so as to create an EU electricity market regulation that is conducive to the German energy transition. Four central elements are identified: raising the ambition of energy targets and introducing long-term targets, developing effective oversight instruments to ensure compliance, adjusting the electricity market to the needs of wind and solar power, and initiating an exit strategy for coal firing. The strategy brief is available for download.

This report discusses extensions of area-based land foot-prints with meaningful impact-oriented indicators for the assessment of the effects of different con-sumption patterns on the ecosystems and sustainability of land use. First, existing indicators for representing the environmental impacts of land use are introduced in the context of their linkages and complementarity to area-based land footprints. The report discusses the following key indicators, which were identified as particularly relevant during an export workshop: System indicators, which qualify the area-based footprints across globally very different potential land productivities, deforestation footprint, energy use in agriculture, and irrigation water use in agriculture classified by degree of water scarcity. It introduces the methods developed for the quantification of system indicators for cropland and grassland footprints and for the deforestation footprint, and present results for Germany and the EU.

Cross-border trade and the rules governing it impact consumers. Trade has benefits for consumers, such as access to goods not available domestically. Yet it also has certain risks, such as exposure to traded goods that may be dangerous. Against this background, consumer organisations on both sides of the Atlantic have been discussing what a consumer-friendly trade policy could look like. Christiane Gerstetter and Lena Donat of Ecologic Institute's Legal Team have compiled a study examining what complaint mechanisms for consumer organisations concerning international trade agreements could look like.