<p>On 6 March 2013, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the Embassy of Canada, Ecologic Institute and the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research hosted a lecture by David Hik, University of Alberta, Canada and IASC President. The session focused on possible future trajectories of national and international research in the Arctic region, drawing on Prof. Hik’s observations of the recent past and International Polar Year initiatives. Following the lecture, Prof. Hik fielded questions from the 35 participants, who represented German research institutes and ministries, foreign embassies and foundations and think tanks.</p>&#13;

The study examined the charges levied on patients for the diagnosis and treatment of the ten most common outpatient conditions handled in the emergency department (ED). The results of research undertaken by scientists and faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, Stanford University, the University of Minnesota, and Ecologic Institute have been published in the scientific journal PLoS One. Based on a cross-sectional study of the 2006–2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, the analysis was limited to outpatient visits with non-elderly, adult (years 18–64) patients with a single discharge diagnosis. A sample of 8,303 ED encounters was analyzed, which is representative of a total of 76.6 million ED visits during the studied 3-year period. It was found that charges varied significantly by diagnosis and across EDs for the same diagnosis. The study is available for download.

This policy report compares approaches to sustainable transportation financing in the U.S. and Germany, with a focus on Northern Virginia and the Stuttgart region. Max Gruenig and Dominic Marcellino, Senior Fellow Ecologic Institute Berlin and Fellow Ecologic Institute Washington DC respectively, are co-authors with Andrea Broaddus, PhD Candidate at the University of California at Berkeley. The policy report is available for download.

The aim of the ATLANTIC FUTURE FP7 research project is to study the rationales of cooperation in the Atlantic area and identify EU strategies for engaging in a wider transatlantic relationship within the Atlantic space.

On 13 January 2013 Ecologic Institute participated in a Healthy Communities Forum in Millbrae's Community Center (south of San Francisco, CA). Theme of this Healthy Communities Forum was the health of seniors – today and in the near-term future. Senior Fellow Tanja Srebotnjak presented a selection of the main findings as well as some surprising outcomes of the study on the status and trends in the health of seniors in San Mateo County. The presentation slides are available for download.

Ecologic Institute created an informative flyer in five languages that presented the EU-funded DEMEAU project. The project aimed to address challenges in water supply and wastewater treatment by promoting advanced technologies such as Managed Aquifer Recharge, Hybrid Ceramic Membrane Filtration, Hybrid Advanced Oxidation Processes, and Bioassays. With a strong consortium of research institutions, SMEs, and water suppliers from five EU countries, DEMEAU focused on innovation and partnership to effectively combat emerging pollutants.

On 7 December 2012, the Policy Studies Organization hosted the "Dupont Summit 2012: Pressing Issues amid the Political Maelstrom". The fourth annual Summit focused on the dissemination of scientific and technological information to researchers and decision-makers. Energy and climate change issues were highlighted as a theme this year. Dr. Grit Martinez, for Ecologic Institute Berlin, and Tanja Srebotnjak, for Ecologic Institute’s San Mateo office, were panelists on a session entitled "Local and Regional Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change: Sharing Good Practices and Comparative Analysis between the U.S. and Germany". Dr. Martinez and Dr. Srebotnjak were joined by Jeff Allenby of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

Fifteen participants from different parts of Mexico who are spending a year in Germany with support from the "International Leadership Training (ILT)" programme in order to learn conceptual, holistic and anticipatory thought for sustainable business development, took part in the course, carried out at the International Education Center (IBZ) in Mannheim from 7 to 9 December 2012. Michael Mehling, President of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, delivered the course contents, drawing on training material developed previously for a project commissioned by the Academy of International Cooperation (AIZ).

Srebotnjak, Dr. Tanja et al. 2012: Is Emergency Department Closure Resulting in Increased Distance to the Nearest Emergency Department Associated with Increased Inpatient Mortality?

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 results of a research project undertaken by the Center for Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University to which Ecologic Institute Senior Fellow Tanja Srebotnjak contributed have been published in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters. The study produced geospatially explicit estimates of human net migration across ecosystems between 1970 and 2010.

Fostering sustainable industries and industrial development requires the use of effective indicators. Though a multitude of indicators exist, their applicability to sustainable industries remains largely unaddressed to date. In the RISI project, Ecologic Institute reviewed the available scientific knowledge in order to evaluate existing indicators and propose recommendations concerning their usability and the potential need for further indicator development.