In this chapter, Ecologic Senior Fellow Ingmar von Homeyer argues that the institutional structures and processes underlying EU environmental governance have undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Important characteristics of this emerging "experimentalism" in EU environmental governance include the transition of many important decisions into the implementation stage, trans-nationally networked implementation, and the creation of indicators and reporting requirements for regular review and revision of policies.

The Yearbook Ecology 2011 focuses on geo-engineering as an important alternative to the policy of reducing emissions and adapting to climate change. Two prominent technology variants are presented in detail, and the pros and cons of geo-engineering are carefully mapped and evaluated. Other chapters are devoted to related developments in law, business and civil society. The Ecologic Institute is one of the institutes supporting the yearbook and has contributed a chapter to the 2011 edition.

A more traditionally jurisprudential perspective on linking is provided in this book chapter published in an anthology titled "Legal Aspects of Carbon Trading: Kyoto, Copenhagen and Beyond" published by Oxford University Press. In this chapter, Michael Mehling provides a conceptual framework for the distinction of legal and political criteria for the feasibility of carbon market linkages.

The sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources between the traditional users and cultivators of such resources and those that wish to use them for commercial or research purposes is a major issue under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In this book chapter, Christiane Gerstetter of Ecologic Legal develops recommendations for provider countries on how to implement the CBD requirement that benefits should be shared fairly and equitably.

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.

In this book chapter, R. Andreas Kraemer from Ecologic Institute addresses the governance of water and the EU's Water Framework Directive, focusing mainly on subsidiarity applied to water policy. He describes the conflict arising from a territorial and a bioregional perspective on the subject, and the management of this conflict through the principle of subsidiarity. The chapter features an outline of the Water Framework Directive's origin and its core ideas, illustrates approaches of water management using examples, including one from the Danube River region, and a number of hydrological maps and gives an outlook to further developments of the water governance area.

In this book chapter, Sascha Müller-Kraenner raises whether we are facing an increasing number of conflicts on oil resources in the future. He argues that conflicts will not arise over the resource itself, but rather when climate change induces large flows of environmental refugees.

Does water provide occasions for conflicts or does water become the conflict material when social control mechanisms fail or are developed insufficiently or badly? Are water conflicts perhaps provoked to conceal this weakness? How does good Water Governance look and which positive effects can it bring? Nicole Kranz, R. Andreas Kraemer and Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute discuss these questions in a chapter of the Jahrbuch Ökologie 2010.

In this book chapter, the authors discuss linkages between the environmental crisis, in particular climate change, and the financial and economic crisis. They argue that both crises have at least one cause in common: patterns of production and consumption that are unsustainable from both an ecological and social point of view.

Rural development policies and the promotion of innovation represent the basis for the successful development of rural areas. In this context, the assessment of innovative initiatives and projects alongside the analysis of the status quo and obstacles to innovations are crucial. In this article, Sandra Naumann (Ecologic) and Andreas Frangenberg (FNL), propose a set of indicators to qualitatively evaluate the sustainability and the success of innovation projects. In addition, this publication presents the results of a comprehensive review on innovations in rural regions.

The article by Dr. Camilla Bausch and Jonathan Donehower analyses the flexible mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol used by the international community to fight rising carbon emissions. The most prominent example of regional implementation of emissions trading, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), is presented in detail with an outlook on potential future improvements.

Raggamby, Anneke von and Olympia Papadopoulou 2008: "A Review of Dissemination Activities in the Duration of the Project", in: GEM-CON-BIO. Governance and Ecosystems Management for the Conservation of Biodiversity. Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 253-255.

Naumann, Sandra and Anneke von Raggamby 2008: "Biosphere Reserve Schorfheide-Chorin", in: GEM-CON-BIO. Governance and Ecosystems Management for the Conservation of Biodiversity. Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 114-116.

Germany's population is shrinking. While a growing population has long been understood as a threat to the environment, a shrinking population does not automatically improve the environmental situation. But what are the environmental sustainability implications of demographic trends in Germany? In their publication "Demographic Change and Sustainability: A Generational Balance", R. Andreas Kraemer, Daniel Blobel, Anneke von Raggamby and Doris Knoblauch develop approaches for a generational balance in selected areas, namely natural resource use (energy supply, settlement and transport) and nature conservation.

Against the background of an increased number of flood events and the dependency of their impacts on how the surrounding land is used, it has become evident that technical solutions have only a limited effect.  New approaches to flood management, including the restoration of rivers’ natural flood zones, have become indispensable.  In this book section, Thomas Dworak, Head of Ecologic Vienna, analyses current EU policies and how they can be used for the restoration of floodplain areas.  He presents a detailed and systematic assessment of the opportunities and challenges arising from water and non-water related EU policies.