It is widely recognized that national or regional efforts to restrict the damage of climate change are insufficient and hence that environmental and climate protection needs a global concept. Paradoxically, the way environmental and climate change is perceived and damage is handled is linked to local and regional patterns of perceptions. Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute and Prof. Michael Paolisso from the University of Maryland investigate the ways local knowledge and the values of major cultural groups shape understanding and perceptions of climate change risks, and in turn the consequences of that cultural knowledge in terms of vulnerability, adaptation and resilience.

The published OECD-report "Climate Change Risks and Adaptation: Linking Policy and Economics" sets out how the latest economic evidence and tools can enable better policy making for adaptation. Scientists from Ecologic Institute con-tributed to the chapter on the costs and benefits of adaptation on the national and regional scale.

In the book chapter "Green infrastructure: a bridging concept between biodiversity conservation and the Green Economy", Timo Kaphengst, McKenna Davis and Sandra Naumann of Ecologic Institute examine how the concept of green infrastructure (GI) matches with the most fundamental elements of the green economy, paying particular attention to the enhancement of "natural capital" and fostering of green and social innovation outside of protected areas. The ecosystem services approach is utilized as a bridging concept between the human and natural spheres, highlighting the extent to which GI is suitable for supporting the functionality of ecosystems and their provisioning of services for humans. The theoretical analysis is underpinned with empirical evidence from research in the field of GI within Europe and previous projects completed by Ecologic Institute.

Möller-Gulland, Jennifer et.al. et. al. 2015: Water Abstraction Charges and Compensation Payments in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

Möller-Gulland, Jennifer et. al. 2015: Effluent Tax in Germany. In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

Lago, Manuel et. al. 2015: Defining and Assessing Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management. In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

The BACC II (Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea basin) is an updated assessment of ongoing climate variations in the Baltic Basin for the period 2009-2014. The book is an update of the first BACC assessment, published in 2008, and offers new and updated scientific findings in regional climate research for the Baltic Sea basin. The evidence collected and presented in BACC II shows that the regional climate has already started to change and this is expected to continue. Dr. Grit Martinez from Ecologic Institute is co-author of the article 'Climate Science and Communication for the Baltic Sea Region'. BACC II is a project of the Baltic Earth research network and contributes to the World Climate Research Programme.

What makes adaptation measures successful, and how can they be used as good examples? In his recent article "The view beyond the horizon – International examples of climate adaptation", Dr. Nico Stelljes aims to answer this question using different success factors for the classification of good examples of adaptation to climate change, presenting five examples of adaptation measures. The article was published in the seventh volume of the OEKOM series 'Climate Change within Regions'.

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 at 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.

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.

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.

Plieninger, Tobias; Kathrin Trommler; Claudia Bieling et al. 2013: "Ökosystemleistungen und Naturschutz", in: Werner Konold; Reinhard Böcker and Ulrich Hampicke (Hg.): Handbuch Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege. Supplement No. 28, 04/2013. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 1-12.

Döhler, Felix; Grünig, Max; Langsdorf, Susanne, 2014. Ökostadt – Vision und Wirklichkeit. In: Heike Leitschuh et al. (Hrsg.): Jahrbuch Ökologie 2015. Re-Naturierung. Stuttgart: S. Hirzel Verlag, 229-236.

After the flooding of 2002, many measures for flood protection have been planned and implemented in Germany. However, the next big flooding event in 2013 showed that technical solutions are not sufficient for the protection of houses, land, and people in endangered areas. Alternatively, flood prevention with ecological protection measures should be focused.

Martinez, Grit and Mike K. Orbach 2014: "Küstenschutz – Europa und USA im Vergleich", in: Heike Leitschuh et al. (eds.): Jahrbuch Ökologie 2015. Re-Naturierung. Stuttgart: S. Hirzel Verlag, 214-222.