Sustainability | Ecologic Institute: Science and Policy for a Sustainable World

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Project

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Sustainability

More Quality of Life, Less Environmental Usage – Development of user-oriented sufficiency policy project drafts in the Environment Department

April 2020 to September 2020

The conviction of an everlasting economic growth is increasingly pushing our planet to its ecological limits. Life within these limits would be possible if sustainable consumption patterns were to become firmly established in our society. The policy of sufficiency can make a beneficial contribution to this. It aims to reshape the political, economic and social framework conditions in such a way that consumers are induced to demand sustainable products and services and voluntarily resign from excessive consumption. Against this background, the Institut für zukunftsfähige Ökonomien (ZOE), the Institut für Partizipatives Gestalten (IPG), Ecologic Institute, and R. Andreas Kraemer develop sufficiency policy project drafts that are closely aligned with the needs and requirements of the respective specialist units at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). Read more

Publication

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Sustainability

Water

The Public's Perception of Run-of-the-river Hydropower across Europe

In the European Union, hydropower represents an important component of a renewable energy transition, in part due to its existing infrastructure. A large share of future European hydropower projects will be run-of-the-river schemes. To understand the potential for RoR hydropower development and modernization of the technology as an opportunity for sustainable decentralization, this report uses the Q-methodology to compare public values about RoR hydropower in German, Portuguese and Swedish case studies.Read more

Publication

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Sustainability

Circular economy und Nachhaltigkeitsinnovationen

Forschungsergebnisse mit der Praxis diskutieren

While circular processes offer potential for small and large companies, such processes are not (yet) established across the board. For circular processes to be applied widespread, exchange between science and companies must be improved. As part of an national research project funding scheme on the sustainable economy, three workshops were dedicated to businesses and science actors to exchange information on sustainability innovations along value chains. This German paper summarises experiences made and lessons learned from these workshops.Read more

Publication

Used Vehicle Trade and Fleet Composition in Europe

In Europe, limited information is available about the environmental characteristics of the vehicles stocks and of traded used vehicles in terms of vehicle's air pollutant and CO2 emissions. In this report Ecologic Institute and Fraunhofer ISI explore available national and European data sources of vehicle stocks and trade throughout Europe and compile the available vehicle characteristics. Based on the available characteristics, the authors derive the environmental performance of vehicle stocks and traded used vehicles and assess respective regional differences in the environmental performance of the vehicles stocks and of used vehicle trade flows. The report is available for download.Read more

Publication

Audio

Knowledge for Future – The Environment Podcast

Food

Sustainability

Forschung trifft auf Praxis: Und was kommt dabei raus?

8th episode of "Knowledge for Future – The Environment Podcast"

If science provides the right impulses, completely new ideas can emerge in practice. The last episode of the environmental podcast "Knowledge for Future" dealt with the importance of transdisciplinary research, in particular with the synergies and challenges that can arise when research and companies work together. This episode focuses on two concrete examples of such synergetic cooperations: sustainability within the food and fashion industry.Read more

Event

Plastics in the Environment – PhD-WinterSchool

TimeLoc

10 February 2020 to 14 February 2020

Döllnsee-Schorfheide

Germany

From 10 to 14 February 2020, the five-day PhD-WinterSchool "Plastics in the Environment" of the BMBF research focus "Plastics in the Environment – Sources ● Sinks ● Solutions" took place in Döllnsee, Brandenburg.Read more

News

Camilla Bausch Comments on EU Commission President Ursula v.d. Leyen's Green Deal Keynote at the World Economic Forum

Dr. Camilla Bausch provided live comments for the news service WELT during Ursula von der Leyen's keynote address on the European Green Deal (EGN) at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Von der Leyen presented tenets of the EGN – her key political project as the new EC President. The EGN aims to set a path for a climate neutral economy by 2050.

Project

Integrated Approaches for the Renovation and Modernisation of the Built Environment

December 2019 to January 2021

Addressing energy consumption and related GHG emissions from buildings constitute a major challenge in the light of the climate crisis. At the same time, the interplay of building policies with other policy areas comes into focus with sector coupling, digitalization but also lifecycle considerations and adaptation to climate change. For the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy, the Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE), Climact, Creara Consultores and Ecologic Institute investigate which lessons can be learned from already existent integrated policy approaches for new buildings and buildings undergoing a major renovation.Read more

Event

Carbon-Pricing: Concepts, Regional Developments and Future Governance – COP25 Side Event

TimeLoc

16 December 2019

Madrid

Spain

Speaker

Michael Mehling, LLM

Effective CO2 pricing is crucial to achieve the global climate protection goals. This was the subject of an event that was carried out by the Ecologic Institute as a co-organizer as part of a formal side event at the 25th session of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) in Madrid.Read more

Project

Energy Intensive Industries: Challenges and opportunities in energy transition

December 2019 to April 2020

The European commission strives for carbon-neutrality in Europe by 2050. In order to achieve this goal, the energy intensive industries will have to reduce their emissions substantially. On behalf of the European Parliament, CE Delft and Ecologic Institute will summarise how energy intensive industries in Europe can transition to a carbon-neutral energy economy while preserving their global competitiveness.Read more