On 11 July 2018, the latest edition of the Climate Talk series discuss whether a "green" revolution is underway on the financial market, and how the EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan can benefit Climate Protection. Close to 40 participants contributed to the lively discussion. Sabine Pex (ISS-Oekom), Eva Kracht (BMU) and Karsten Löffler (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management) introduced the topic and sketched their expectations for the future.

Germany seems to be missing its climate protection targets for 2020 – can a climate protection law help avoid such failures in the future? Will the Climate Protection Plan 2050 and its sectoral goals be bindingly anchored in the law? Within the context of the Energy Future Exchange (EFEX) project, a round of international experts discussed these questions at the Climate Talk at Ecologic Institute in Berlin. Bringing in a transatlantic perspective, the discussion also touched on the climate protection frameworks currently in place in California and Mexico.

Brexit, immigration, Euro crisis, economic stagnation in some member states, EU skeptical and nationalist parties on the rise - 60 years after the signing of the Treaties of Rome, the European Union is in turbulent times. The frequency and force of the various crises have created the impression that the EU is not in a position to serve the interests of its citizens and solve their problems. This is also reflected in a loss of confidence in the EU and its institutions - which was most clearly expressed in the Brexit referendum. The discussion will be introduced by keynote speeches by Silke Karcher (BMUB), Frederik Moch (DGB) and Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (Ecologic Institute).

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States raises questions in many policy areas about the future course of the United States. What impact will the new government have on international climate policy, especially in the event that a Trump government withdraws from the Paris Agreement or even leaves the Framework Convention on Climate Change? The discussion will begin with keynote speeches by Miranda Schreurs (energy and climate policy expert and American-born, TU Munich) and Vera Rodenhoff (head of the relevant department at the BMUB).

What signal do private actors need in the emissions trading for the period after the second Kyoto commitment period 2020? How can legal certainty be created for the "climate change" AAUs / CERs / ERUs from the Kyoto era, and what will happen in the future to existing institutions (CDM EB, JISC, registers, trading platforms)? How can the UNFCCC ensure the quality of international climate protection measures and apply reduction measures consistently and transparently? And is there any potential as well as political interest in emission trading clubs? The discussion on these and other questions was initiated by keynote speakers by Dennis Tänzler (adelphi), Lambert Schneider (Stockholm Environment Institute) and Nico Kreibich (Wuppertal Institute).

"What does the change of system involve? Switching to tenders for German Renewable Energies Promotion” is the topic of the Climate Talk which took place on October 6, 2015. Cornelia Viertl (BMWi), Sabine Schmedding (BWE) and Fabian Wigand (Ecofys) opened the discussion at the event organized by the Ecologic Institute and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).

The UN climate negotiations are currently working towards a new global climate agreement, to be concluded at the end of 2015 in Paris. Until then, a marathon of negotiation sessions is scheduled to take place. In the run-up to the third of four rounds of negotiations in October 2014 in Bonn and just a few weeks before the start of the 2014 climate summit in Lima, Peru (COP-22), a group of 30 interested experts came together at Ecologic Institute for a Climate Talk to take stock.

"Loss and damage – what can the new mechanism offer?" was the topic of the 26th Climate Talk on 7 April 2014. The event, jointly organised by the Ecologic Institute and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), featured guest speakers Ilka Wagner (BMUB), Sabine Minninger (Brot für die Welt) and Sönke Kreft (Germanwatch).

What is the role of the Common Agricultural Policy in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation? Has the recent round of CAP reform sufficiently contributed to the effort to address these issues? These questions were the focus of the 25th Climate Talk, jointly organized by Ecologic Institute and the Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), which featured presentations by Clemens Neumann (BMELV), Reinhild Benning (BUND), and Sandra Naumann (Ecologic Institute).

The 24th edition of the Climate Talk, held on 25 February 2013, discussed the future of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The event, jointly organised by the Ecologic Institute and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), featured as discussants Dr. Jochen Diekmann (DIW Berlin), Dr. Uwe Neuser (Ministry of the Environment) und Dr. Joachim Hein (Federation of German Industries).

At a special event, the "Climate Talk" series starred Jeffrey Ball, Scholar–in–Residence at Stanford University and former Environment Editor at the Wall Street Journal; Enno Harks, Senior Political Advisor with BP; and Dr. Petri Hakkarainen, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS). The event featured a truly transatlantic exchange on the German "Energiewende". It was moderated by Dr. Camilla Bausch of the Ecologic Institute.

The 22st Climate Talk on 25 June 2012 occupies itself with the question: which impetuses for international climate policy will expand out from the Rio+20 Conference? The debate at the event, organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), was opened by Dr. Karsten Sach (BMU), Dr. Thomas Koenen (BDI), and Daniel Mittler (Greenpeace), who were all fresh back from Rio.

The 21st Climate Talk, which took place on 6 March 2012, addressed issues regarding fracking and was entitled "Shale gas and fracking - an energy revolution in Europe?"
 Shale gas - natural gas trapped deep in underground rock formations - has provided hope for an energy revolution in Europe. Because the gas can only be retrieved with the technique of "hydraulic fracturing" (short: "fracking"), which uses great quantities of water and sand as well as chemical components, the potential environmental effects are being discussed intensely and controversially.

"Limited Freedom above the Clouds: Aviation Becomes Part of European Emissions Trading Scheme" was the topic of the 20th Climate Talk, hosted by Dr. Camilla Bausch and Benjamin Görlach of the Ecologic Institute, as well as Dr. Susanne Dröge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) on 21 November 2011.

"Waking the sleeping giant - Instruments for more energy efficiency in the EU" was the topic of the 19th Climate Talk, hosted by Dr. Camilla Bausch and Benjamin Görlach of Ecologic Institute and Dr. Susanne Dröge of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in June 2011.