Contents:

1. The Social Dimension of EU Biofuel Policy - Ecologic Brief
2. Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012 - Publication
3. Senior Health in San Mateo County - Current Status and Future Trends - Publication
4. Forum Fish Protection and Downstream Migration: Environmental Policy and Legal Framework - Results Paper from the 1st Workshop
5. Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean - Publication
6. Green Party Executive Board discusses Climate Protection - Presentation
7. Strengthening Ecosystem-based Approaches to Tackle Climate Change – What are the Policy Implications? - Presentation
8. Ecologic Institute a Global Top 10 Environmental Think Tank again in 2012 Ranking - News
9. Ecologic Institute Seeks New Staff - Opportunity

1. The Social Dimension of EU Biofuel Policy - Ecologic Brief

   In the early 2000s, biofuels were seen as a panacea for several environmental and economic challenges. In more recent years, however, their promotion has faded substantially. With the ongoing expansion of biofuel production worldwide, serious doubts have been raised about their sustainability and potential to reach environmental targets. This Ecologic Brief provides an assessment of the extent to which social aspects of biofuel production are addressed in current EU policies. It also explores possible ways of enhancing, reshaping, or extending existing policies in order to ensure the sustainable production of biofuels. The Ecologic Brief is available for download.
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2. Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012 - Publication

   It is difficult to deny the fact that Earth's climate is changing. Almost all scientists consider the emission of greenhouse gases, mainly through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, to be one of the main reasons. The impacts of climate change include rising average and extreme temperatures, shifting patterns in snow- and rainfall, and rising sea levels. These changes threaten not only fragile ecological equilibria but also our economies and societies. Ecologic Institute's Senior Fellow Tanja Srebotnjak was involved in the indicator review for the report "Climate Change Indicators in the United States, 2012," published in December 2012 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The final report is available for download.
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3. Senior Health in San Mateo County - Current Status and Future Trends - Publication

   Together with Sustainable San Mateo, Ecologic Institute carried out a study on the healthcare needs of senior citizens in addition to other related factors, such as housing, access to parks and open space, public transportation, and healthy food. The study was sponsored by the Sequoia Healthcare District and the Peninsula Health Care District and shows that San Mateo's senior citizens are generally in good health but at the same time experience disparities due to income, ethnic and racial background, and other factors. Additionally, the report offers information on opportunities for combining healthcare and environmental policies in order to not only improve ecological goals but also senior citizens' health in a sustainable and mutually beneficial way. The study is available for download.
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4. Forum Fish Protection and Downstream Migration: Environmental Policy and Legal Framework - Results Paper of the 1st Workshop

   The first in a series of workshops on the topic of fish protection and downstream migration highlighted the congruent and contradictory goals of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) as they relate to the topic of hydropower development and fish protection. A results paper (in German) presenting the detailed findings of the workshop is available for download.
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5. Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean - Publication

   The book "Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean" (Springer) documents the proceedings of the 2010 NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Cambridge (United Kingdom) that was initiated and co-convened by Ecologic Institute. The partners were the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge and the Russian Academy of Sciences. In the book chapter "Transatlantic Policy Options to Address the Rapidly Changing Arctic," Sandra Cavalieri and R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute present policy options for the EU and the US for addressing challenges in the changing Arctic, summarizing key findings of the transatlantic Arctic Transform dialogue.
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6. Green Party Executive Board discusses Climate Protection - Presentation

   The yearly kick-off meeting for the Executive Board of the German Green Party was held in Lüneburg, Germany, this past January. Dr. Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs and Dr. Camilla Bausch from Ecologic Institute were experts invited to report on the current developments and prospects of international, European, and German climate protection. Other meeting participants included the Party’s national chairpersons Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir, as well as Executive Director Steffi Lemke.
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7. Strengthening Ecosystem-based Approaches to Tackle Climate Change – What are the Policy Implications? - Presentation

   Climate change and human activities are posing challenges to European habitats and their management. Protected areas in particular are confronted with the pressing need to monitor changes, adapt management strategies, and consider flexible responses to future developments. This workshop, which was organized by the EU INTERREG Project HABIT-CHANGE, aimed to present and discuss options on how to improve policies focusing on adaptive management for mitigating climate change impacts in protected areas. Sandra Naumann, a Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation on how ecosystem-based approaches can better be integrated into European and national policies and strategies and provided a basis for the subsequent discussion. The presentation slides are available for download.
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8. Ecologic Institute a Global Top Ten Environmental Think Tank again in 2012 Ranking - News

   For the third year running, Ecologic Institute was voted into the Global Top Ten Environment Think Tanks in the prestigious Global "Go-To Think Tank Index," conducted by the University of Pennsylvania. Ecologic Institute—based in Berlin, Germany, and Washington, DC—continues to be the only environmental Think Tank ranked among the Top 75 Think Tanks in Western Europe, where it rose from 37th place in 2011 to 33rd place in 2012.
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9. Ecologic Institute Seeks new Staff - Opportunity

   Ecologic Institute seeks for new staff and offers the following position: - Support for our Organization Team (part-time, 10h/week). The application deadline is 6 February 2013. For more information regarding the requirements and the necessary application documents, please visit our website. Please apply online.
   http://ecologic.eu/opportunities