Contents:

1. EUREAPA Tool Launched - Online Software
2. Access to Energy in Developing Countries - Study for the European Parliament
3. Intellectual Property Rights and Fighting Poverty - Study for the European Parliament
4. Design, Implementation and Cost Elements of Green Infrastructure Projects - Publication
5. The Sustainable Transformation of Industrial Cities - Second I-CITE Study Tour
6. Outstanding Climate Adaptation - Press Release
7. Climate Change Adaptation in Germany, Poland, and the Baltic States - Short Film
8. Events on Climate Change, Conflict and Human Security during Durban Climate Summit - Presentations
9. The American Council on Germany (ACG) Seeks Applications - McCloy Fellowship
10. Further Information and News

1. EUREAPA Tool Launched - Online Software

   The One Planet Economy Network: EU (OPEN:EU) project concluded at the end of 2011 with the launch of the EUREAPA tool. EUREAPA (EU Resource and Energy Analysis Programme Application) is a freely available online decision making support tool based on the integration of the Footprint Family of indicators with an economic model that enables users to demonstrate the impact of EU consumption and production on the environment.
   http://ecologic.eu/4567

2. Access to Energy in Developing Countries - Study for the European Parliament

   Despite the continuous international efforts to reduce energy poverty, about 2.7 billion people do not have access to modern energy services in the developing countries. This project analyses the current situation and outlines the main challenges, but also provides best practice examples of how the challenges can be met. The final results of this project are available for download.
   http://ecologic.eu/4476

3. Intellectual Property Rights and Fighting Poverty - Study for the European Parliament

   Developing countries are the main providers of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Conversely, most intellectual property rights (IPRs) on seeds and medicines are concentrated in developed countries. The study concludes that this has some disadvantages for developing countries. Thus, patents on seed or pharmaceutical products sometimes make the access for the poor to such products more difficult and expensive; there are hardly any positive effects of IPRs on fighting poverty, by contrast. This is the result of a study, presented by Christiane Gerstetter (Ecologic Institute) and Sebastian Oberthür (Institute for European Studies) to the European Parliament. The study and the presentation are available for download.
   http://ecologic.eu/4314

4. Design, Implementation and Cost Elements of Green Infrastructure Projects - Publication

   Green Infrastructure has emerged as a valuable tool to enhance ecosystem resilience and to contribute to biodiversity conservation and benefit human populations. Ecologic Institute and GHK produced a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and cost efficiency of green infrastructure projects in the EU to solidify the understanding of this concept. The results of this research were presented at the workshop "Insights from Green Infrastructure Projects in the EU", held in Brussels on 17 January 2012. Given the cross-sectoral nature and relevance of the subject, attendees included representatives from DG Environment, DG Clima and DG Regio, among others. The study will contribute to the EU’s post-2010 biodiversity policy and the development of the upcoming EU strategy on green infrastructure. The final report and presentation are available for download.
   http://ecologic.eu/3933

5. The Sustainable Transformation of Industrial Cities - Second I-CITE Study Tour

   As part of the I-CITE and ELEEP initiatives, Ecologic Institute and the Atlantic Council of the United States led a transatlantic contingent on a study tour of Detroit and Pittsburgh from 8 to 12 January 2012. The study tour is the second of three held as part of the I-CITE project funded by the European Union; its focus was the transformation of declining industrial regions and opportunities for their sustainable recovery. The tour builds from previous tours organized by Ecologic Institute, specifically the Transatlantic Media Dialogue to the Ruhr Valley in late 2010. This tour also marks the first face-to-face meeting of the ELEEP network; six of the ten participants, three each from the EU and the US, attended.
   http://ecologic.eu/4573

6. Outstanding Climate Adaptation - Press Release

   The "Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast" (RADOST) project, led by Ecologic Institute, was recently awarded a spot among the "365 Landmarks in the Land of Ideas", along with six other German regions that are instituting climate adaptation measures. The model regions of the research program "KLIMZUG–Managing Climate Change in the Regions for the Future" are among the "Selected Landmarks 2012" that are being recognized by the "Germany–Land of Ideas" initiative of the Federal Government and German business community. The jury has thus acknowledged the innovative approach of RADOST and the other KLIMZUG projects that attempts to involve regional stakeholders in all steps of research design and implementation, starting at the very beginning of the process.
   http://ecologic.eu/4551

7. Climate Change Adaptation in Germany, Poland, and the Baltic States - Short Film

   This short film features different perceptions, approaches, and solutions in regard to climate change adaptation in Germany, Poland, and the Baltic States. The footage was recorded during a workshop series in Szczecin, Gdansk, Klaipeda, and Riga from 24 to 28 October 2011. Scientists and local stakeholders from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia comment on climate change and climate adaptation
   http://ecologic.eu/4571

8. Events on Climate Change, Conflict and Human Security during Durban Climate Summit - Presentations

   During the climate summit in Durban in December 2011, researchers of the Ecologic Institute presented insights from the ongoing research project CLICO on several occasions. CLICO undertakes research on how changes in water availability caused by climate change will affect human security and conflicts over water. Climate change is likely to have negative impacts on food security in many places and may exacerbate water scarcity. However, preliminary results of CLICO indicate that "water wars" resulting from climate change are an unlikely scenario. A presentation and two event reports are available for download.
   http://ecologic.eu/4569

9. The American Council on Germany (ACG) Seeks Applications - McCloy Fellowship

   The ACG welcomes applications from professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors who are engaged in environmental policy, journalism, and law, as well as those in academia who are undertaking research that bears significance for environmental policy in the United States, Germany, and Europe.
   http://ecologic.eu/opportunities

10. Further information and news

    • Renewable Energy Policy – The German Experience
      The presentation is available for download.
    • A localised Experience of a Changing Climate - Workshop in Durban, South Africa
      The presentations are available for download.
    • Insights from Green Infrastructure Projects in the EU
      The presentations are available for download
    • River Basin Network Workshop, January 2012 – Zaragoza (Spain)