On 15 September 2015, the POLIMP project consortium will host its final expert workshop at Ecologic Institute in Berlin (Germany). The one day workshop will focus on low-carbon technology support policies in the EU, with special attention given to financing, public acceptance and emissions trading. Each of these will feature introductory input from the project, contrasted with an external policy expert perspective (from research, government and business) to start conversation among participants. The presentations and discussion will be augmented by the perspectives of up to 40 external experts working in research, government and business.

The dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is one of the most active and influential international courts. How the WTO dispute settlement bodies decide cases was the topic of a presentation that Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow in Ecologic's legal team, gave at an international law conference in Oslo. The presentation slides are available for download.

Sustainable development is a fundamental and overarching objective of the European Union, enshrined in the Treaty. The EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) brings together the many strands of economic, social and environmental policy under one overarching objective – to continually improve the quality of life and well-being for present and future generations.

In this presentation, Grazia Maria Vagliasindi, University of Catania, and Christiane Gerstetter, Ecologic Institute, presented the results of the EU-funded research project "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) to an audience of criminologists and police officers. The presentation is available for download.

The EU is currently discussing two overlapping policy frameworks: The Climate and Energy Framework for 2020 to 2030 and the Energy Union strategy. As a key element of the reformed system, the EU intends to reduce administrative burden for member states by streamlining planning and reporting requirements. As a contribution to this debate, a new Ecologic Institute study assesses risks and opportunities of four concrete streamlining options. The study is available for download.

On 7 September 2015, Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers presented tentative project results from the ongoing project "A framework for Member States to support business in improving its resource efficiency", commissioned by DG Environment and running from January to October 2015, at the 4th Meeting of the Expert Group Greening the European Semester in Brussels. The presentation slides are available for download.

This report explores the possibility of linking Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Habitats Directive (HD) information by using WISE WFD information on types, ecological status, pressures and measures (EEA, 2012) and HD infor-mation on habitat types, conservation status and threats (EC, 2007). Among the authors are Ecologic Institute's Eleftheria Kampa and Ulf Stein. The report is available for download.

What do we know about the effectiveness of legislation to combat environmental crime within the EU and its Member States? And how can we measure its effectiveness? These were the two core questions that Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow in Ecologic's Legal Team, addressed in a presentation at the conference of the European Environmental Law Forum in September 2015 in Aix-en-Provence. The presentation is available for download.

The Eurostat monitoring report examines how well the EU and its member states adapt the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. As part of a consortium with the Vienna University of Economics and Business, INFRAS and the Haymarket Media Group, Ecologic Institute played an integral role in compiling the 2015 Eurostat monitoring report. The report is available for download.

Between 1 and 3 September 2015, experts from eleven countries in Europe, North and South America met at São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) in São Paulo (Brazil) to discuss how the interactions between social science and humanities (SSH) and environmental science (ES) researchers are opening new pathways to transformative research in the environment, providing innovative solutions to global problems. As research initiatives are taking an increasingly interdisciplinary perspective, involving studies that require analysis of the world at multiple space- and timescales, these new visions of research are affecting the way theories are formulated, analyses are per-formed, and research is conducted. Consequently, strengthening these research interactions is essential. Dr. Grit Martinez participated in the event by invitation from the German Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF).

The article "Land degradation neutrality under the SDGs: National and international implementation of the land degradation neutral world target" by Elizabeth Dooley, Ennid Roberts and Stephanie Wunder explores how the current momentum in international soil policy can be used to promote sustainable land use and reduce land degradation, particularly through the SDG process and using UN Conventions. It puts a special emphasis on the opportunities and challenges of the concept of "land degradation neutrality."

Within the European water research project "Demonstrate Ecosystem Services Enabling Innovation in the Water Sector (DESSIN)," a policy brief on governance factors conducive to innovation in the urban water sector was published. Josselin Rouillard and Rodrigo Vidaurre from Ecologic Institute, provide five key recommendations on policy frameworks, incentives and stakeholder management strategies that can be employed to encourage innovation uptake in urban water management. The policy brief is targeted to water managers and policy makers and is available for download.

Tedsen, Elizabeth; R. Andreas Kraemer 2015: Regional Environmental Challenges and Solutions in the Pan-Atlantic Space. ATLANTIC FUTURE scientific paper no. 32, Berlin.

This report takes stock of adaptation planning and measures to date in Europe and globally. Case studies for assessment were selected based on criteria developed in line with the key principles and objectives of BASE. The report provides a general assessment of 136 selected case studies focusing on aspects including types of measure, stakeholder groups involved, sectors, decision support tools (participatory and economic), and funding sources. A further nine case studies are then explored in more detail in regard to measure selection and methods.

The Canadian province of Alberta is well-known for being the home of the country’s current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and the infamous tar sands. The traditionally conservative province has been criticized for its contribution to climate change. Binnu Jeyakumar, Consulting Advisor at Pembina Institute, led a discussion on this topic at Ecologic Institute. The seminar focused on the current political change in Alberta and its implications for the province’s involvement in the fight against climate change.