In a decision published in May 2021, the German Constitutional Court held that the Federal Climate Change Act is partly unconstitutional and has to be amended by the end of 2022. This policy brief explains the court's key arguments and findings and is available for download.

This report by Ecologic Institute and IDDRI provides a comprehensive mapping of climate advisory bodies in European countries and the national governance systems in which they operate. It proposes a typology to account for the diversity of advisory bodies and a three-tiered frame by which to evaluate national climate policy-making systems. The research was based on an in-depth investigation of national policy documents and structured interviews with country experts. The report is available for download.

Legally binding reduction targets for Member States should be the unequivocal starting point of making EU laws fit for new EU climate targets. Based on a new distribution formula, national targets should continue until climate neutrality is achieved in 2050, Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf writes in Euractive. The article is available online.

The Conference on the Future of Europe begins on 9 May 2021. This political process can become a milestone in EU climate policymaking – provided that its recommendations are specific and focus on the EU's ability to act, Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf writes in the Tagesspiegel. He makes three proposals how the conference can support EU climate policies. The article is available online.

Protecting and restoring nature is also recognised as being key to achieving both biodiversity and climate objectives, while delivering important socioeconomic benefits. A virtual breakfast briefing was held on 18 May 2021 with around 140 participants to discuss these topics and launch the Think2030 paper "Using nature-based solutions to foster synergies between biodiversity and climate: Missed chances and opportunities for a sustainable future", co-written by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Ecologic Institute.

What are the key ingredients of a "Sustainable Recovery for a Green Future?" This was the topic of two events organized by Think20 (T20) during the Italian G20 presidency. Dr. Camilla Bausch, co-chair of the T20 Task Force on environmental issues, spoke on carbon neutrality, long-term climate strategies, and the European Green Deal.

Many consider the Climate Summit in Glasgow, which will take place end of 2021, the most important summit since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. Upon invitation by the Andrássy University Budapest and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Dr. Camilla Bausch discussed recent developments in climate policy in the lead-up to COP26. Ada Ámon, Chief Climate Advisor to the Mayor of Budapest, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Heinrich Kreft of Andássy University, joined Dr. Bausch in a lively discussion of challenges and opportunities for the European Union on the road to Glasgow. The presentation slides are available for download.

On 30 April 2021, the research network Ecornet Berlin presented how tenants can benefit from the energy transition at the online Berliner ENERGIETAGE. Ambitious standards for energy-efficient refurbishment offer financial advantages for tenants if building owners take advantage of available subsidies. In particular, low-income households, which are often vulnerable to energy poverty, benefit when energy costs fall and rents remain stable. The event was organised by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research, the Ecologic Institute and the Öko-Institut within the research network Ecornet Berlin.

As part of a project to structure the energy law, Ecologic Institute contributed to concluding recommendations on the "Improved disclosure of subsidised renewable energy quantities and general electricity disclosure in Germany". The recommendations include general recommendations for the further development of accounting instruments of electricity disclosure, measures to improve the disclosure of supported electricity from renewable sources, additional measures on the format and content of electricity disclosure, and monitoring. The recommendations are available for download.

This study by Ecologic Institute examines different approaches and business models in the practices of lifecycle design, service life extension, use intensification and material re-use by means of literature analysis and supplementary interviews. Different, existing approaches and business models of different actors in Berlin are presented and barriers that hinder a transformation towards circular construction are identified. Development perspectives for circular construction in Berlin are then given based on an analysis of relevant governance components. The study is available for download.

An evaluation of various databases and platforms shows that a diverse innovation landscape and a testbed for a Circular Economy has emerged in Berlin. The innovation ecosystem is based on the interaction of a multitude of actors and environmental conditions and focuses on new product utilisation systems. It is shaped by political and legal framework conditions, incentive structures and funding measures. The study, to which Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers of Ecologic Institute contributed, is available for download.

Decoupling economic growth and resource use is a core objective of the "European Green Deal". How this is to be achieved is formulated in the new "Action Plan for the Circular Economy" and the "Industrial Strategy" of 2020. Ecologic Institute's Susanne Langsdorf presents the key political documents of European resource policy and traces lines of development. The report is available for download.

How can the overexploitation of groundwater resources by irrigated agriculture be better managed? Dr. Josselin Rouillard together with colleagues from California, Spain and France, addresses this question in a new scientific article published in Water Resources Research. The research focused on how users and public authorities can work collaboratively and adopt collective rules to regulate access to and use of groundwater in agriculture.

The 2021 annual conference of German Association of Dietitians has put a focus on sustainability and its relevance for the work for dietitians as well as policy makers. Stephanie Wunder gave an impulse presentation on this topic entitled "Effectively using synergies between health-promoting and environmentally friendly nutrition".

This article, which is co-authored by Sandra Naumann and McKenna Davis from the Ecologic Institute, provides an overview of the state of the art of the environmental European policy framework and the recognized role of nature-based solutions (NBS) and sustainable urban planning (SUP) in reaching defined objectives and outlines insights on where NBS and SUP could play a larger role within this framework. Finally, it derives recommendations for a better integration of such concepts into the current framework. The article is available for download.

Ecologic Institute has launched its first crowdfunding campaign. We aim to bring a young, aspiring scientist to work with us in Berlin on the pressing issues of climate & health. We would be delighted if you were to support our crowdfunding campaign on the occasion of our 25th anniversary. The Stiftung Mercator has generously offered to match every Euro you donate – so each Euro counts double.

The Make Europe Blue campaign is calling on you – citizens, businesses, organisations, authorities, celebrities, educators – to make a pledge to help the ocean. Your pledge is a personal promise or action that will keep our ocean healthy. Every action brings change to our ocean. Get on board now!