In November 2018, the European Commission published its Strategic Long-Term Vision entitled "A Clean Planet for all" calling for the target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The central objective of the work presented in this report was to assess the European Commission's Strategic Long-Term Vision and supplementary materials and reflect on them in light of state-of-the-art sector analyses. Ecologic Institute contributed to the report, which summarizes several publications. It is available for download.

The EU has set out to become the world's first climate-neutral continent, but how are its cities and regions progressing towards this goal? A new report commissioned by the European Parliament examines this question. It discusses how progress towards net-zero can be measured at the regional level and identifies common barriers facing regional governments' ambitious climate policies. The study is based on six case studies from EU regions that have successfully begun the journey towards net neutrality. For the report, Ecologic Institute provided conceptual input on how to define climate neutrality and on how to gauge regions' progress towards it. In addition, the team carried out the case study on industry decarbonization in Plovdiv (Bulgaria). The report is available for download.

The emission of plastics into the environment is increasing worldwide. Since existing regulations are not sufficient to contain the problem, the ever-increasing plastic production and use must be reduced overall. A systemic approach is needed that holds all actors responsible who produce, use, recycle, dispose of and trade in plastic products and packaging. Policymakers must lead the necessary paradigm shift and stimulate a sufficiency debate across society. The article summarizes the results of the social science research conducted as part of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment" in eleven key messages. It is available online.

To achieve the EU's goals, we need to fundamentally rethink mobility. This involves many aspects, including electric mobility, walking, cycling and public transport. The second episode of the "Green Deal – Big Deal?" podcast examines the challenges and issues that the mobility transformation needs to address, including environmental issues such as climate change and air pollution. A special emphasis is placed on electrification and batteries, which are central to the mobility transformation.

On 11 May 2022, the RECIPES project hosted its dissemination conference "Precaution for Responsible Innovation: New Options to Move Forward". At the conference, the RECIPES project presented and discussed some ideas on how to improve the use of the precautionary principle. The ideas were developed in consultation with several stakeholders during the project period (the RECIPES guidance). The conference brought together around 90 participants from a range of different stakeholder groups. The presentations held at the RECIPES conference are available for download.

Emissions trading is a market-based instrument for climate change mitigation. From the EU to South Korea and from China to California, more and more jurisdictions around the world use emissions trading as a tool to achieve their climate goals. At the beginning of 2022, around 16 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions were covered by emissions trading systems (ETS). Several countries in Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, have taken steps towards developing ETS. From 16 to 26 May 2022, the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) will convene a two-week ETS training course to provide basic training on emissions trading in Asian countries.

Which (policy) instruments can be used to promote more plant-based diets and how can they effectively support the decrease in the consumption of animal products in the German population? This was the central question of the online workshop on the socio-ecological transformation of the food system held on 4 April 2022 as part of the STErn project. Around 35 experts discussed particularly relevant and behavioral factors influencing food choices and, on this basis, evaluated political options for action in Germany. The input paper as well as recordings of the event organized by Ecologic Institute are available online.

On 9 May 2022, Europe Day 2022, WiseEuropa, Global Focus Center and the Ecologic Institute organized the roundtable "Rethinking energy and climate resilience after Russia's war on Ukraine" in Warsaw (Poland). As part of the Conference on the Future of Europe, options for ending Russian energy imports and accelerating the decarbonization of Europe were discussed at the event.