Fukushima has been a painful reminder that each energy source has its drawbacks, and none comes without side effects. To realise our ambitious climate objectives, we must above all stop wasting energy and use energy in a much smarter and more efficient way. This is not a new insight, but turning this insight into action has proven remarkably difficult. How the existing obstacles to energy efficiency can be overcome, and which initiatives have worked successfully for Germany and the UK so far, was the topic of a discussion event at the UK Embassy in Berlin, moderated by Benjamin Görlach, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute.

<p> Europe can shift to a low-carbon economy, enjoy secure energy supply, environmentally sustainable development, and rising employment.&nbsp; On 10 March 2011, the European Commission presented its &quot;Roadmap 2050&quot; in Berlin, Germany, exposing divisions within the German Federal Government.&nbsp; R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute moderated the event.</p>

At an event hosted by the Mexican Embassy, Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute and Secretary Miriam Medel of the Mexican Embassy in Berlin discussed the results of the latest international climate negotiations which were held in Cancún, Mexico, end of 2010. The event was opened by the Mexican Ambassador Francisco N. González Diaz. The dialogue was initiated by Ecologic Institute's Ecoscholars.

<p> Sandra Cavalieri, Fellow and Arctic Programme Coordinator at Ecologic Institute, spoke to decision-makers, scientists and industry experts on the environmental impacts of Arctic Shipping at the Symposium on Arctic shipping held at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin on 22 February. The presentation is available for download.</p>

During the "E-World" event in Essen, Ecologic Institute's Wolfgang Urban gave a speech on the role of biomethan for the Federal Government's Energy Concept 2050. After shortly introducing the use options of biomethan, he presented political goals in this field, especially the Energy Concept 2050. In addition, he highlighted the possible contribution of biomethan to the achievement of these goals. Wolfgang Urban concluded his speech with suggestions for incentive tools regarding power and heat. The presentation slides are available for download.

As one of its key features, the Kyoto Protocol introduced market mechanisms in order to achieve climate targets at lowest cost. Instruments like emission trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation have established markets for emission reductions worldwide. These instruments owe their existence to the Kyoto Protocol. However, the current commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and the prospects for an immediate successor agreement remain bleak. The 16th edition of Climate Talk discussed what this situation entails for the market mechanisms, and what measures the affected firms can take to deal with the uncertain outlook.

<p>&#13; Electric vehicles can potentially make significant contributions towards achieving the EU’s climate protection goals in the transport sector. In the context of the Dresden university days on ecological-social market economy and sustainability, Max Grünig, Fellow at Ecologic Institute Berlin, presented a summary of the potential and limitations of electric vehicles.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; The European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) convened a workshop on "Reforms for Measuring Welfare and Wealth in the Context of Sustainable Development" in Berlin on 2 and 3 December 2010. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute moderated the event discussing "Beyond GDP", which was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Environment (BMU) and the German Bank for Reconstruction (KfW).</p>&#13;