The German government intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020 (compared to 1990 levels) – a goal that the newly elected Federal Government reaffirmed in its coalition agreement. On behalf of the European Climate Foundation, Ecologic examined to what extent the Energy and Climate Program adopted in 2007 can achieve this 40% cut. The analysis shows that even though the programme was implemented, for the most part, significant gaps remain. To close the remaining gaps, the study proposes additional legislative measures. It is now available online. Read more ...

Water resource licensing is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of integrated water resources management (IWRM). Licensing and other allocation mechanisms are important because they determine who gets access to water and provide a means of managing water fairly, efficiently and sustainably. As water grows scarce in an increasing number of countries, there is a significantly greater risk of corruption in the water licensing process. These risks, and their underlying factors, are not well understood. The authors of the report explore the nature of the risk of corruption using a 2007 field study, with Chile and Kazakhstan as case studies. Read more ...

The Ecologic Institute hosted an international dialogue on regional adaptation actions for coastal areas as a complementary event to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Examples of practical applications of research results within the project RADOST (Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast), a project is coordinated by the Ecologic Institute, was the starting point of the discussions. Read more ...

10 November 2009, Berlin - Christiane Gerstetter
Christiane Gerstetter, Fellow Ecologic Legal, spoke on the legal feasibility of adopting a climate change act in Germany, modeled on the UK Climate Change Act. The presentation was a contribution to a seminar entitled “How legally-binding targets can promote more effective national climate change policy” held in the British Embassy. The presentation was based on an earlier legal expertise by Ecologic Legal on the topic, which the WWF had sponsored. It is available for download. Read more ...

In two events, addressing decision makers from the EU parliament and the German Bundestag, the WWF study "Blueprint Germany - A strategy for a climate safe 2050" will be introduced and discussed. A thorough policy program based on concrete measures and instruments up to the year 2030 is the core of the study. It shows that the transformation from a high-carbon to a low-carbon economy is possible and affordable – and also indicates that Germany could become a model for other countries if the suggested path were to be followed. Read more ...

The Ecologic Institute analyzes the pertinence of using elements of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in shaping international environmental governance reform. Christiane Gerstetter, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf and Susanah Stoessel, the authors of the study, conclude that the WIPO model is illustrative for the debate on reforming international environmental governance. At the same time, however, important disparities in the substance and policies of intellectual property and environmental protection exist. The Ecologic study is available for download. Read more ...

The scarcity of concrete regional adaptation strategies (RAS) across the EU suggests that guidelines for designing regional strategies can be helpful in assisting regions to prepare for the effects of climate change. This Policy Guidance is intended to assist regional authorities and other regional bodies formulating RAS. It draws on the experience of thirty-one regional adaptation strategies, a review of existing guidance documents, and on the results of a stakeholders’ workshop that conveyed regional authorities to discuss a draft of this guidance. Read more ...