Contents:

1. Dr. Camilla Bausch is New Director of Ecologic Institute – News
2. Statement on the First Progress Report by the German Government for 2013 – Publication
3. Investment Protection under CETA – Publication
4. Bioeconomy and Natural Resources – Publication
5. The Cultural Context of Climate Change Adaptation – Publication
6. Regional Perspectives Concerning Climate Change and Coastal Adaptation – Publication
7. Climate Change at the German Baltic Coast – Publication
8. European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime – Presentation
9. Berlin Ecologic Institute Globally Recognized for Environmental Research – News
10. Sascha Müller-Kraenner in New Dual Leadership of Deutsche Umwelthilfe – News

1. Dr. Camilla Bausch is New Director of Ecologic Institute – News

   
   

   Dr. Camilla Bausch

   On 1 January 2015, Dr. Camilla Bausch took over management of Ecologic Institute. The 42-year-old lawyer follows in the steps of former Director and founder of the Institute, R. Andreas Kraemer.
   /11644

2. Statement on the First Progress Report by the German Government for 2013 – Publication

   On 3 December 2014, the first progress report from the Federal Government and a joint statement from the Expert Commission about the "Energy of the Future" monitoring process were presented. Ecologic Institute supports the work of the Expert Commission by providing scientific input. The joint statement from the expert Commission is available for download.
   /11614

3. Investment Protection under CETA – Publication

   Is the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) the beginning of a new era of investment protection under free trade agreements, one that addresses long standing concerns surrounding investment protection? The answer to these questions is, by and large, no. CETA's investment chapter is not only superfluous but harmful because, among other reasons, it distorts competition at the expense of domestic competitors. The comments of Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, are available for download.
   /11582

4. Bioeconomy and Land Scarcity – Publication

   In times of conflicting environmental objectives, the bioeconomy has evolved as one of the most contested fields in resource and climate policies. This article by Timo Kaphengst and Stephanie Wunder stresses the overall scarcity of land as a significant obstacle for further expansion of biomass production for the bioeconomy. The authors argue for a more demand-driven strategy to alleviate stress on land ecosystems. The article is available for download.
   /11705

5. The Cultural Context of Climate Change Adaptation – Publication

   Over 123 million Americans and nearly half of European citizens live on or near their respective coasts. What coastal stakeholders in Europe and the U.S. learn from each other to safeguarding their shores has been explored in a publication by Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute in collaboration with colleagues from Duke and Humboldt University.
   /11735

6. Regional Perspectives Concerning Climate Change and Coastal Adaptation – Publication

   The German Bundesländer Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern both lie on the Baltic Sea coast. Their attitudes towards a) climate change adaptation and b) the way in which local communities and industries shape their climate change adaptation measures are different. Doris Knoblauch and Dr. Nico Stelljes, both Fellows the Ecologic Institute suggest in their article that there are cultural settings, which influence the perception of climate change and, consequently, the proposed adaptation measures in the two states.
   /11605

7. Climate Change at the German Baltic Coast – Publication

   Climate change perceptions and attitudes towards climate adaptation measures are critical in determining local actions, their main focus, and the way in which new challenges and measures are approached. The author, Doris Knoblauch, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, comes to the conclusion that coastal protection is predominant among potential climate adaptation measures. Therefore, other measures do not receive enough attention in the German Baltic sea region.
   /11722

8. European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime – Presentation

   On 19 November 2014, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the European research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime (EFFACE)" at the 4th Annual General Meeting of the European Network for Environmental Crime (EnviCrimeNet) in The Hague (Netherlands). Ecologic Institute is the coordinator of the EFFACE project. The presentation slides are available for download.
   /11640

9. Berlin Ecologic Institute Globally Recognized for Environmental Research – News

   For the past 5 years, Ecologic Institute has maintained a top position in the prestigious ranking of political institutions or "Think Tanks," implemented by the University of Pennsylvania. Moreover, the Institute is currently 16th amongst "Think Tanks to Watch," i.e., those organizations that have earned a particular global profile according to assessment of the consulting experts. Ecologic Institute, founded in Berlin in 1995 and currently employing around 150 individuals, is the only Think Tank among the 55 Think Tanks in Western Europe that specializes in matters relating to the environment, climate, energy and resources and is also the sole organization of this nature among the 70 Think Tanks considered to have the most significant impact on public policy.
   /11728

10. Sascha Müller-Kraenner in New Dual Leadership of Deutsche Umwelthilfe – News

    The management board of the Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (DUH) has appointed Sascha Müller-Kraenner — one of the founders and a partner of Ecologic Institute, Berlin and Vice-Chairman of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC — as chief executive of the nature, environment, and consumer organization. The trained biologist has led the association since January 2015 together with Jürgen Resch who has held the position since 1986.
    /11461