1. Ecologic Institute launches Washington DC office
2. The evolution of EU environmental governance - Publication
3. Protecting the Arctic marine environment in a changing climate – options for transatlantic and international governance - Lecture
4. Sustainable Development in Policy Assessment - Methods, Challenges and Policy Impacts – Conference registration open now
5. At a tipping point? How the debate on biofuel standards sparks innovative ideas for the general future of standardisation and certification schemes - Publication
6. Mechanisms for Linking Emissions Trading Schemes - Publication
7. Second European Water Conference – Conference Document online
8. RAPIDO - Furthering rural development: fresh input from innovation leaders – video interviews available online

1. Ecologic Institute launches Washington DC office
On 20-27 April 2009, the Ecologic Institute launches its newly established Washington DC office with a series of events focused on transatlantic environmental policies. Over the course of this week, Ecologic will partner with established civil society and educational institutions to address a range of timely issues, from new challenges for Arctic governance over comparative approaches to green recovery to transatlantic experiences with the promotion of renewable energy sources.
http://www.ecologic.eu/2780

2. The evolution of EU environmental governance - Publication
In this book chapter Ecologic Senior Fellow Ingmar von Homeyer provides an analytical overview of EU environmental governance from the early 1970s up to the present. He argues that EU environmental governance can be described as an amalgam of four to five environmental governance regimes which have successively been layered on top of each other over the past 35 years.
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3. Protecting the Arctic marine environment in a changing climate – options for transatlantic and international governance - Lecture
At the International Scientific Congress “Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions”, experts presented a summary of scientific findings since the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment. The congress attracted broad international attention in the run-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in Copenhagen in December 2009. In the session entitled “Integrating Climate Change into Global Sustainability”, Sandra Cavalieri presented transatlantic and international policy options to protect the Arctic marine environment that had emerged from the Arctic TRANSFORM project.
http://www.ecologic.eu/2796

4. Sustainable Development in Policy Assessment - Methods, Challenges and Policy Impacts – Conference registration open now
This event marks the final conference in the context of the research project EPOS - Evaluating Policies for Sustainable Development and will take place 15-16 June 2009 in Brussels. The conference would like to add to the understanding of sustainability evaluation and brings together evaluation practitioners, academia, commissioners of evaluations, as well as policy makers. Please register through our online form until 1 June 2009.
http://www.ecologic.eu/1993

5. At a tipping point? How the debate on biofuel standards sparks innovative ideas for the general future of standardisation and certification schemes - Publication
The expanding use of biomass as an energy source has been accompanied by a growing range of certification and standard-setting schemes in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of biofuel production. The result has added to the confusion in an already crowded certification market, but an opportunity to develop a streamlined global standard-setting system arises from this complexity. In this article, Timo Kaphengst, Mandy Ma and Stephanie Schlegel of Ecologic Institute outline how some of the innovative ideas coming from the biofuel certification and standardisation discussions can be applied to create a global generic standard-setting scheme for natural resources.
http://www.ecologic.eu/2798

6. Mechanisms for Linking Emissions Trading Schemes - Publication
Linking emissions trading schemes has attracted interest as a means of reducing costs and expanding market size and liquidity. A number of studies have explored the compatibility of schemes, although little attention has been devoted to the implementation of links. In an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate Policy, Michael Mehling, President of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, and Erik Haites, former IPCC lead author, identify mechanisms required for the establishment and operation of a trading link over time.
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7. Second European Water Conference – Conference Document online
The second European Water Conference on Active Involvement in River Basin Management took place on 2-3 April 2009 in Brussels. The event aimed at encouraging the active involvement of citizens and stakeholders as well as drawing maximum attention to the preparations of the River Basin Management Plans required by the EU Water Framework Directive. Ecologic together with its partners VITO and ACTeon prepared the conference document, which includes a first overview of the draft River Basin Management Plans.
http://ecologic.eu/2524

8. RAPIDO - Furthering rural development: fresh input from innovation leaders – video interviews available online
A video presenting expert interviews made during the first RAPIDO workshop is now available on the RAPIDO website. The experts had been invited to provide input on their practical experience with the implementation of innovative activities in rural areas. These rural innovation leaders, from across the European Union, discuss the effects of innovation and factors of success.
http://rapido.local/events#rapido-video