The INTERLACE Urban Governance Atlas is an online database that showcases 250 policy instruments from 41 countries supporting nature-based solutions and ecosystem restoration. The interactive design invites policymakers, urban planners, researchers, civil society organizations, and others to explore and learn more about what made the instruments successful, lessons learned in their design and implementation, and their approaches to governance. It was officially launched on 11 May 2023 at the INTERLACE Cities Talk Nature Conference in Chemnitz.

This policy brief by Ecologic Institute aims to support the work of NGOs and think tanks by developing elements of a green hydrogen agenda for the G20. Based on an analysis of the heterogeneous interests and agenda of the G20 countries, the first part discusses the challenges and opportunities of the G20 as a forum for shaping the emerging markets for hydrogen and hydrogen-based products into a direction that is compatible with climate neutrality. The second section outlines the governance challenge of ensuring the environmental and social sustainability of hydrogen production and use.

This briefing analyzes the contents of the two Delegated Acts (DA) adopted by the European Commission on 10 February 2023, which contain detailed rules on the conditions under which electricity used to produce hydrogen can be counted as fully renewable according to EU law, as well as on the methodology used to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings from hydrogen-based renewable fuels (so-called renewable fuels of non-biological origin, RFNBOs) and for recycled carbon fuels (RCFs).

The EU Climate Law, adopted in summer 2021, represents a significant advancement in EU climate governance. It offers guidance for future policymaking across the entire economy and introduces new progress and policy monitoring mechanisms to ensure EU climate neutrality by 2050. One such mechanism is a five-yearly assessment by the EU Commission to review the consistency of EU and Member State policies with the net-zero goal, with the first assessment due by September 2023. This policy paper aims to inform discussions about the new policy monitoring mechanism by providing an overview of policy consistency and how to assess it.

All EU Member States are required to develop a national long-term climate strategy outlining targets and actions towards 2050, according to the EU Governance Regulation. Ecologic Institute carried out a cross-country analysis of the 22 national long-term strategies. This document provides country specific information on key elements from the 22 national long-term climate strategies extracted for the cross-country analysis in table format. It allows for selection of specific criteria as well as for the selection of specific countries.

It is urgently necessary to intensify efforts to restore freshwater ecosystems. This policy brief contains policy recommendations, including the integration of measures into NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) and NBSAPs (National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans), the consideration of a binding water treaty and a UN special representative for water. Synergies between freshwater ecosystems and flood protection should be highlighted, and cross-sectoral cooperation promoted.

In this 1st episode of the "CLIMATE ON AIR – Discussing the future of EU climate policy" podcast, hosts Aaron Best from Ecologic Institute and Bradlie Martz-Sigala from the University of Eastern Finland discuss with Anuschka Hilke, Program Director at the Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE) and Benjamin Görlach, Environmental Economist and Head of Economics and Policy Assessment at Ecologic Institute, what "transformative policy" actually means and how it differs from traditional policymaking. Tune in to find out and enjoy the conversation!

The 10th episode of the podcast "Green Deal – Big Deal?" is dedicated to the decline of nature in the EU. We talk with Humberto Delgado Rosa (Director of Biodiversity at the European Commission) and Sabien Leemans (Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer at WWF) about the importance of biodiversity protection and the current political debate that could decide the fate of the Nature Restoration Act and the species it aims to protect.

On 3 May 2023, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation on environmental criminal law at the Transfer Talk on Environmental Crime at the Criminological Research Center (KKF). He gave an overview of statistical developments, structural peculiarities of environmental criminal law, challenges in prosecution and the ongoing amendment of the EU's Environmental Crime Directive.

At the Expert Hearing in the European Parliament on "Sustainable management of water and resources in agriculture" on 25 April 2023, Dr. Ulf Stein, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute and Coordinator of the Water Studies, was invited as one of four experts. The aim of the event was to speak on the relationship between agriculture and water management in the context of the increasing scarcity of water resources due to climate change.

In this webinar for young Europeans, which was held on 27 April 2023, we discussed how the EU Taxonomy Regulation can help make investments sustainable. Registration is possible until 24 April 2023. The recording of the presentations by Sarah Lokman, head of sustainability at Greenomy, and Ben Allen, research director at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), are available for review.

On 29 March 2023, Doris Knoblauch and Mandy Hinzmann gave a lecture at the 46th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management, where 19 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented. The focus was on reducing plastics in the environment, on different responsibilities and concerns from a global perspective on the one hand, and on the textile sector on the other hand.