Ecologic Institute

The project aims to further refine estimations of costs and benefits associated with Natura 2000 network and to collect information and recommendations on methodologies for these estimations as applied at EU Member State level. Ecologic Institute and its partners have interviewed representatives from different ministries and key stakeholders in all 27 EU Member States to gather insights on costs and benefits associated with the network. Read more ...

The debates on the benefits and threats of genetically modified crops are highly controversial and often misleading due to insufficient information and varying interpretations of existing data. In addition, it has not clearly been shown whether farmers benefit economically over time from growing genetically modified crops in relation to growing conventional crops. The project aims at analysing the direct monetary and income effects for farmers growing genetically modified crops, as well as the decisive factors behind them.   Read more ...

The Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, launched by the European Council in 2000, has at its core the aim of creating a knowledgeable society and a European social model as well as innovative measures. It was relaunched by the 2005 Spring Council after only mixed results had been obtained up to that time. In 2007 and 2008, Member States were given specific recommendations on the actions to be taken concerning the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy. While these recommendations are directed primarily at the national governments of member states, regions and cities are also important actors and areas for sustainable growth. In order to reap the full benefits of regional programmes and their significant contribution to achieving the Lisbon objectives, the potential role of regional and local authorities in a new strategy for sustainable growth and better jobs will be investigated by the Ecologic Institute in this project. Read more ...

For climate policy to be implemented successfully, decisions on the local and regional level are crucial. A key instrument of the EU to drive progress on this level is the Intelligent Energy Europe programme which provides start-up funding for local and regional energy agencies. In cooperation with Matrix Insight, Ecologic evaluated the impact of the programme and developed recommendations on future improvments. Read more ...

This project highlights case studies of best practices in car and bike sharing programs in the US and the EU. It assesses the challenges and promises of these programs. Max Grünig and Dominic Marcellino, the authors of the report, conclude that well-designed car and bike sharing programs should be integrated with public transportation to move toward sustainable transportation systems. Read more ...

In January 1999, Ecologic conducted the workshop on "Responding to Environmental Conflicts: Implications for Theory and Practice". The aim was to discuss how to prevent environmental conflicts using approaches in different policy fields. In particular, non-governmental ways to tackle the complex dynamics of this type of conflict were considered. Read more ...

To achieve the “good status” of Community surface- and groundwater bodies by 2015, Management Plans and a Programme of Measures have to be formulated and implemented in all EU-river basin districts (RBD) and international RBDs. Draft plans and programs were published by the majority of Member States in December 2008, and the aim of this project was to provide a basic overview and a comparison of selected European Member States for the Dutch government. Read more ...

In the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the allocation of allowances to refineries and other industries increasingly relies on benchmarks, in which the most efficient plants set the reference for others. In this project, illustrative benchmarks are derived for CO2-emitting processes in refineries. The impacts of these benchmarks on the allocation of EU emission allowances to single installations are exemplified for selected refineries. Based on these insights, Ecologic provides advice on how to refine the allocation methodology. Read more ...

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 ...

Given the increasing importance of climate change, a number of related legislative activities in Germany have occurred.  However the resulting climate change law is incomplete and not always coherent. On behalf of the Federal Environmental Agency, Ecologic Institute is developing an ambitious and consistent model for the federal climate change law. Ecologic is cooperating with Professor Michael Rodi from the University of Greifswald. Read more ...

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) was adopted in December 2000 and marked the beginning of a new era in European water and environmental policy. To overcome the voluminous and fragmented EU legislation on water resources prior to its adoption, the WFD promotes the streamlining of water legislation and the adoption of water policy measures in a coherent manner. To achieve "good status" of surface water and groundwater by 2015, coordinated management plans and programmes of measures must be formulated and implemented in all river basin districts (RBDs) of the EU, including international RBDs. Draft plans and programmes were published by the majority of Member States in December 2008 and must be finalized by the end of 2009. Since the successful implementation of the WFD depends strongly on agricultural land use, the aim of this project is to carry out an in-depth assessment of how the draft plans and programmes address agricultural pressures. Read more ...

This study aims to further develop the monetary figures used in the previous Cost of Policy Inaction (COPI) study carried out by Ecologic and its partners in 2008. The numbers used in the previous COPI analysis are here tested, validated, extended and further improved. The results feed into the wider Review on The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity (TEEB). Read more ...

Large-scale environmental valuations are usually accompanied with great methodological difficulties. The aim of this study is to develop guidelines for applying more accurate, less uncertain value transfer using spatial data in a policy-relevant scaling-up approach to large-scale geographical areas. 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 ...