In this episode of Green Deal – Big Deal podcast we discuss what mud houses, 3D printers and beauty have to do with Europe's journey to becoming a climate-neutral continent. Specifically, we speak with Alina Ujupan, part of the team behind the European Commission's New European Bauhaus Initiative and Edouard Cabay, winner of a recent New European Bauhaus prize for Spain’s first 3D printed building using earth. These questions were also discussed in a webinar. The recordings of the presentations are available via the link below.

Urban water management is facing new challenges due to climate change. Intensified precipitation is putting additional stress on stormwater systems, leading to increased flood risks, more frequent combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and resultant risks to public health and urban biodiversity. These topics are addressed in a new publication co-authored by Gregory Fuchs and McKenna Davis of Ecologic Institute entitled "Sitting in our own soup? Combined sewers, climate change and nature-based solutions for urban water management in Berlin."

This briefing reviews the European Commission's first ever assessment of progress towards the 2050 climate neutrality target. Furthermore, the authors, among them Eike Karola Velten, Matthias Duwe and Paula Schöberlein of Ecologic Institute, propose steps that could be taken in the next two years to improve the monitoring system and provide a compass for the path to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target.

The latest evaluation of the innovative climate protection projects for the period 2020 to 2021 is now available. During this evaluation period, the projects accomplished an additional 0.41 million metric tons of CO₂ reductions, alongside notably higher indirect reductions. The projects were able to trigger transformation by empowering their target groups to question, change and replace prevailing structures, established practices and techniques. At the same time, their predominantly national coverage as well as visibility, comprehensibility and connectivity for the target group and imitators contributed to a high transformational outcome.

The results of the municipal energy efficiency networks from 2018 to 2021 are in! With funding of 5.66 million euros and a municipal contribution of nearly 3.8 million euros, 28 projects have led to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 69.2 thousand tonnes of CO_₂. Success thanks to excellent management and active involvement of key stakeholders.

Ecologic Institute and Ecorys are supporting the EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe" by mobilizing manifesto signatories and building a network of ambassadors. The manifesto advocates for voluntary initiatives aimed at improving soil health, emphasizing the significance of raising awareness, fostering innovation, and implementing practical actions. A newly released factsheet provides updates on the latest supporters of the mission.

Read the blueprint for a sustainable food future in the newly available English version of our brochure, summarizing the "Socio-ecological Transformation of the Food System" (STErn) project. Learn how to promote a plant-based diet, advance organic agriculture, and strengthen regional value chains through strategic action fields and targeted policy recommendations.

Speech: Doris Knoblauch

Doris Knoblauch, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute and Coordinator for Urban and Spatial Governance, gave a presentation on 23 February 2024 at the event "Climate Protection through Nature-based Solutions", organized by Verbraucherzentrale Sachsen. She introduced the effects of climate change in Germany and Leipzig and presented the concept of "nature-based solutions". She also showed which nature-based solutions can help to adapt to which climate change challenge. Finally, Doris Knoblauch presented examples from Leipzig.

Speech: McKenna Davis

McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute and coordinator of Nature-based Solutions held a keynote at the online webinar 'Engaging the public in GBGI projects' on 7 February 2024. She spoke about inclusive governance and how to learn from real world policy practices to support co-governance in practice. She highlighted several good practice policy instrument examples, which are part of the Urban Governance Atlas developed by Ecologic Institute within the INTERLACE project.

We are looking for a Financial Accountant to join our team in Berlin on April 1, 2024. Ecologic Institute’s mission is to help shape a more sustainable world through science, research and policy advice. Join our dedicated and accomplished finance team and contribute to the success of our mission! Application deadline is 15 March 2024.