Presentation:Lecture

On 17 March 2025, Doris Knoblauch (Ecologic Institute) gave a presentation on "Plastics and the Environment", highlighting the negative impacts of plastics and plastic pollution at a post-graduate course attended by 21 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, NGOs and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies. The focus was on why plastic pollution is a problem for both the environment and human health, the role of textiles, and why we urgently need an international, legally binding plastics treaty.

Plastics and Their Global Impact: Why the World Needs a Binding Agreement

17 March 2025
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Speech

Map of the EU - Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) and Outermost Regions (OMR). This map shows the territorial scope of the Treaties of the EU as specified by Article 52 of the Treaty on European Union and Article 355 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (2004)

The fourth Webstival of the Climateurope2 project took place on 11 and 12 March 2025. Dr. Grit Martinz from Ecologic Institute presented the results of in-depth ethnographic research on issues of equity in the context of the Most Outer Regions. She highlighted the ongoing impact of colonial structures and attitudes on climate justice, including access to climate services for people of indigenous origin. In doing so, she emphasised the potential of a decolonial ecology in European territories and globally to adapt to the consequences of climate change, together with the political struggles against (post)colonial domination, structural racism and the pollution of the ecosystem.

Equitability in and of Climate Services

12 March 2025
Grit Martinez

Presentation:Chairing

Hugh McDonald and Julia Pazmino from Ecologic Institute led the session "Ensuring sustainability outcomes from carbon farming: Recommendations for the CRCF and voluntary carbon markets" at the Second European Carbon Summit 2025. Hugh joined a panel on policy areas for carbon farming, while Julia shared insights on rewarding mechanisms for farmers.

Carbon Farming for Sustainability: Certification, Policy, and Incentive Mechanisms for Agriculture

4 - 6 March 2025
Hugh McDonald

Presentation:Speech

On 25 and 26 February 2025, Biodiversa+, in collaboration with UNEP-WCMC and with the support of the Research Council of Norway, convened a Foresight Workshop in Oslo to explore the intersections between nature-based solutions (NbS) and transformative change. McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of Nature-based Solutions at Ecologic Institute, was invited to participate as an expert and support the identification of emerging research needs and innovation priorities that can advance NbS within the broader context of transformative change. Addressing key knowledge gaps and research priorities

Nature-Based Solutions and Transformative Change

25 - 26 February 2025
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Panel discussion

On 21 January 2025, the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) hosted a panel discussion to discuss the next steps in the global plastics negotiations. The fifth round of negotiations in November 2024 ended without an agreement – a failure? Doris Knoblauch, scientist at Ecologic Institute, took part in the panel discussion and reported on the progress of the negotiations and how things could now proceed from her perspective.

On the Way to a UN Plastics Agreement

21 January 2025
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Speech

Presentation slides on "Nexus von Klimaanpassung und Meeresschutz Resilienz in Meeres-und Küstenökosystemen Online Vortrag vom 04.07.2024 für den Workshop: „Meerschutz, Küstenschutz und nachhaltiger Tourismus im und am Wattenmeer "

On 14 November 2024, the district of Wittmund (Lower Saxony, North Sea coast, Germany) hosted a workshop addressing key challenges at the intersection of marine and coastal protection, sustainable tourism, and climate adaptation. For the first time, marine protection will feature as a dedicated focus in the district's climate protection and adaptation concepts, reflecting a progressive approach to tackling climate impacts in the North Sea region.

Strengthening Marine and Coastal Protection in Wittmund

14 November 2024
Gregory Fuchs

Presentation:Speech

At the International Pond Conference 2024, which took place online from 12 to 13 November 2024, Hugh McDonald from the Ecologic Institute in Berlin presented the results of a comprehensive study on the financing of ponds and pond landscapes as nature-based solutions (NbS). The work analyzed public and private financing models and assessed their suitability for the implementation of pondscapes, and for financing NbS more broadly.

Financing Ponds and Pondscapes as Nature-based Solutions

13 November 2024
Hugh McDonald

Presentation:Speech

On 8 November 2024, the final webinar of the EU project PONDERFUL took place. Led by Professor Jeremy Biggs (Freshwater Habitats Trust) and Hugh McDonald (Ecologic Institute), it discussed how national and regional plans can be developed to protect, restore and create ponds and ponded landscapes. The aim was to inform policymakers on how these small but effective ecosystems can be used as nature-based solutions (NbS) to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Creating a National Plan for Ponds

Presentation:Speech

Dr Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation on prosecution under the amended Environmental Crime Directive at an information event organised by Green Legal Impact and Stop Ecocide Germany on the new EU environmental criminal law. He began by describing the special features of criminal prosecution in the environmental sector and the reason for the first-time inclusion of criminal prosecution provisions in the Directive. He then gave an overview of the regulations on resources and training, co-operation between authorities, the national strategy for combating environmental crime and statistical data. The presentation ended with examples of challenges and approaches to implementing the directive in Germany.

Prosecution Under the Amended Environmental Crime Directive

24 April 2024
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Panel discussion

A panel discussion with seven people sitting in front of an audience. In the background is a large screen with the names of the speakers and moderators.

On 17 April 2024, the fifth h_da Dialogue Forum took place at the Schader Forum in Darmstadt as part of the Darmstadt Days of Transformation. It included a panel on "Post-growth economy for small and medium-sized enterprises", which sparked a lively discussion if and how a post growth economy can work for SMEs or if, taking the post-growth perspective, it might even be the only possible solution to tackle the triple planetary crisis. Susanne Langsdorf, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute in Berlin, explained the potential role of circular economy solutions to tackle the challenges and elaborated on the current political activities on national and European level to transform to a green(er) economy.

Post-growth Economy for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

17 April 2024
Susanne Langsdorf

Presentation:Speech

On 4 April 2024, Mandy Hinzmann presented communication insights and best practices of the citizen science program "Plastic Pirates" at the European Citizen Science Conference in Vienna. The presentation highlighted that effective communication strategies are crucial for the success of citizen science initiatives.

Communication is Key – Best practises from seven years of engaging schoolchildren in plastic pollution research

4 April 2024
Mandy Hinzmann

Presentation:Panel discussion

Graphic for the Think2030 Conference in Brussels featuring a quote from Aaron Scheid, a Fellow at the Ecologic Institute. The quote reads: 'The transition of the agricultural sector towards resilient and sustainable business models, while sustaining food production, needs ambitious climate targets and policies and incentives in place for achieving them.' Aaron Scheid is shown in a portrait next to the text, set against an olive green background with decorative wavy lines in blue, red, and green.

At the Think2030 conference in Brussels, Aaron Scheid discussed the role of the agricultural sector in reaching climate neutrality by 2050 during a Science4Policy session. Despite some progress so far, efforts have stagnated, and current projections indicate only a modest reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2030, ultimately making the sector number one in terms of GHGs emissions. Therefore, shifting support away from emission-intensive practices and transitioning into a low-emission agricultural sector must be our first priority, while making farmers the driver of the transition.

Reaching Climate Neutrality in Agri-food – Identifying the Right Policy Mix

27 March 2024
Aaron Scheid

Presentation:Panel discussion

As part of the Polish Climate Congress from 19 to 20 March 2024 in Warsaw, Ewa Iwaszuk, a Fellow at Ecologic Institute, took part in a panel discussion on implementing nature-based solutions in urban areas. She was joined on the panel by Joanna Kiernicka-Allavena (Climate-KIC), Anna Banaszczyk (World Bank), Marcin Sadura (Warsaw Municipal Sewage Company) and Robert Skowroński (Szczecin Marshal’s Office). The discussion was moderated by Mateusz Kowali (Polish Green Network).

Green Synergies in Local Governments

20 March 2024
Ewa Iwaszuk

Presentation:Lecture

On 13 March 2024, Doris Knoblauch (Ecologic Institute) gave a lecture on "Plastics and the Environment" highlighting the need for a global plastics treaty at a postgraduate course, where 21 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. The focus was on why plastic pollution is a problem and why we urgently need an international, legally binding plastics treaty.

Plastics & the Environment – Why We Need a Plastics Treaty

13 March 2024
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Lecture

Niepołomice, a Polish city with almost 30,000 inhabitants, has received customised training on how to tackle challenges in their community with nature-based solutions. Marcela Gutierrez (University of Costa Rica), Natalia Burgos Cuevas and Doris Knoblauch (both Ecologic Institute) presented concrete options for the municipality to representatives of the city of Niepołomice in March 2024, after the city representatives had presented the urban challenges in December 2023.

Integrating Nature: Promoting nature-based solutions (NbS) in Niepołomice (Poland)

12 March 2024
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Chairing

Organized by the Euro-Mediterranean Climate Change Center (CMCC) in close collaboration with the EU Climate Change Adaptation Mission, the European project Climateurope2 celebrated a festival uniting science, services and standards for a climate resilient future from 11 to 13 March 2024. Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute contributed to the festival with a set of activities spanning from facilitation of fishbowl discussion and break out groups with practitioners to an interview with the media team of Climateurope2. Climateurope2 team wishes to thank all participants for actively participating in the Climateurope2 Festival. The insightful discussions, presentations and debates that took place over the three days of the event laid the basis for fostering new connections within the European climate services community.

Climateurope2-Festival – Uniting climate actions in Europe

11 - 13 March 2024
Grit Martinez

Presentation:Panel discussion

Ecologic Institute was part of the first European Carbon Farming Summit, which took place from 6 to 7 March 2024 in Valencia. This event gathered hundreds of people from academia, the private and public sector, farmers and farmers associations who engaged in the discussion around the upcoming EU Carbon Farming Certification Framework (CRCF). Aaron Scheid and Julia Pazmiño Murillo shared the outcomes of their work as part of the CREDIBLE Project and hosted a breakout session to discuss the minimum requirements to ensure carbon farming delivers sustainability benefits within the CRCF framework and beyond.

Minimum Requirements to Ensure Carbon Farming Delivers Sustainability Benefits

Presentation:Speech

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are widely recognized for their potential to transform urban spaces into sustainable and environmentally friendly environments. Yet open questions remain around how this can be done in practice, what role different stakeholders can play, and what key challenges and opportunities exist. These topics were explored in the science-policy symposium "Regreening Cities with Nature-based solutions in EU and China – Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice". Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis presented insights from the INTERLACE project on a panel in the session "Enabling Transformation in Urban areas with Nature Based Solutions".

Enabling Transformation in Urban Areas with Nature-based Solutions

Presentation:Lecture

The 88th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Short Course held at the TU Dresden focused on Nature-based Solutions (NBS) to emerging water challenges. The seminar featured several contributions over a period of three weeks, including a presentation from Ecologic Institute Fellows Gregory Fuchs and Dr. Benjamin Kupilas on the concept of NBS and relevant international and European policy frameworks for implementing NBS.

Introduction to Nature Based Solutions

23 October 2023
Gregory Fuchs

Presentation:Speech

At the occasion of the 10th Anniversary Edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum, Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch gave two presentations, showcasing insights both of the CLEVER Cities project as well as the INTERLACE project.

Participation is Key – at the right time

18 - 20 October 2023
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Speech

Social media card of the workshop hybrid workshop entitled "Making people part of ecosystem restoration in Europe".

Ecosystem restoration is gaining momentum in science and policy as a process that can jointly tackle biodiversity loss, climate change and other societal challenges. The human and social dimensions of restoration projects however, often insufficiently considered. The German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) hosted a hybrid workshop entitled Making people part of ecosystem restoration in Europe from 17 to 19 October 2023 to explore this topic. McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, held a keynote presentation on "Creating enabling conditions for ecosystem restoration: Tools and guidelines for local impact".

Creating Enabling Conditions for Ecosystem Restoration

17 October 2023
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Lecture

On 16 October 2023, Doris Knoblauch (Ecologic Institute) gave a lecture on "Plastics, green urban environments and local climate protection" at a postgraduate course, where 19 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. The focus was on showing how the triple crisis – plastics pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change – are intertwined and reinforce each other, and what role cities could play in tackling this triple crisis.

Plastics, Green Urban Environments and Local Climate Protection

16 October 2023
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Speech

The European Regions Research and Innovation Network's (ERRIN) Blue Economy Working Group held a hybrid meeting entitled "Water issues in the era of climate change" on 5 October 2023. McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute and Coordinator of Nature-based Solutions, was invited to hold the keynote presentation to set the scene. Her contribution – entitled "Nature-based solutions in European policy: A framework for enhancing local action" – introduced the variety of nature-based solutions available for water management, current research focusing on these solutions (including the Ecologic-led NICHES project), the surrounding EU policy framework, and examples of enabling local policy instruments from the Urban Governance Atlas.

Nature-based Solutions in European Policy: A framework for enhancing local action

5 October 2023
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Chairing

Interactive session with Natalia Burgos (Researcher at Ecologic Institute), Santiago Sandoval (Secretary of Environment of Quito) and Agnieszka Arabas (Team Coordinator for Environment and Spatial Management, Krakow Metropolitan Area).

The CLEVER Cities project's final conference "Nature in the City – Advancing social impact through nature-based solutions (NBS)" was held on 26 and 27 September 2023. McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, moderated the session "Putting Theory into Practice: Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions into Policy". The session explored the fundamental question: How can we integrate NBS into the fabric of urban policy and governance to bridge the gap between theory and action?

Putting Theory into Practice: Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions into Policy

26 - 27 September 2023
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Speech

Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute, presented two case studies on German climate change acts at workshops in Beijing, and discussed with Chinese experts from governmental and municipal departments and universities on Chinese and German climate legislation. In addition, he held a lecture on the German Federal Climate Change Act at the Law Faculty of Beihang University and participated in a discussion on potential areas for future cooperation at the Center for German Studies of the University.

German Climate Change Acts

20 - 21 September 2023
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Interview

Nils Meyer Ohlendorf Interview Klimafakten Polarisierung

In this interview with klimafakten.de, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf from Ecologic Institute talks about the results of two recent surveys about polarization on the topic of climate change in the German society, and discusses their significance for the climate movement.

Starke Polarisierung, weniger Unterstützung: „Jetzt ist der Moment zu fragen: Ist unsere Argumentation gut?"

18 August 2023
Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf

Presentation:Lecture

The 87th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Short Course focuses on ecosystem restoration for the SDGs. Gregory Fuchs of Ecologic Institute was invited to deliver a lecture on marine and coastal ecosystem restoration. The course is specifically aimed at experts who prepare and implement political decisions and practical measures towards the goals of ecosystem restoration and sustainable development.

Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Restoration

31 July - 1 September 2023
Gregory Fuchs

Presentation:Speech

Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute, gave a lecture on Germany's Federal Climate Change Act (KSG) as part of the TOP Executive Development (TED) Program of the Otto Group in Berlin. He presented the main features of the KSG, the impact of the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of March 2021, and challenges in achieving the targets of the KSG. . After the presentation, there was a discussion with Dr. Stephan Sina and the audience.

Germany's Federal Climate Change Act (KSG)

5 July 2023
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Panel discussion

On 14 June 2023, Aaron Scheid presented policy models for linking a reward system for carbon removals in the land sector with the AgETS. Five models were presented as part of the study "Pricing Agricultural Emissions and Rewarding Climate Action in the Agri-food Value Chain", which was developed for DG CLIMA at the time and formed the basis for the panel discussion.

Policy Models and Considerations for Using ETS Revenues

14 June 2023
Aaron Scheid

Presentation:Panel discussion

At the NetworkNature Annual Event held on 8 June 2023 at the Flagey Building in Brussels (Belgium) participants gathered to explore the transformative potential of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) across sectors and communities. One noteworthy panel discussion included Natalia Burgos, representing the INTERLACE project, alongside representatives from the European Commission, the European Environmental Bureau, and the German Environment Agency.

The Importance of Participatory Processes in Deploying Nature-based Solutions

8 June 2023
Natalia Burgos Cuevas

Presentation:Chairing

Doris Knoblauch moderated the networking meeting of innovative climate protection projects in the framework of the National Climate Initiative (NKI) for Ecologic Institute on 7 and 8 June 2023.

NKI Networking Meeting of Innovative Climate Protection Projects

7 - 8 June 2023
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Panel discussion

On 7 June 2023, Malek Al Jebaie presented the findings of a joint research investigation conducted by Ecologic Institute, supervised by McKenna Davis, and the International Institute of Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University at the Ecocity World Summit in London at the Barbican Centre. The presentation primarily focused on the key trends and patterns observed in 151 European cases from the Urban Governance Atlas, whose development was coordinated by Ecologic Institute within the INTERLACE project.

Exploring the Impact of Urban Governance Practices on Nature-based Solutions

7 June 2023
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Speech

The global crisis of the oceans, which has been a tangible and palpable problem in other parts of the world for many years, is increasingly becoming an issue in this country as well. The natural and technical sciences, in particular, have contributed to raising societal awareness about the state of the world's oceans in large-scale research initiatives. Against the backdrop of the ongoing UN Decade of Oceans (2021-2030), an interdisciplinary marine "scoping workshop" took place in Hannover from 7 until 9 June 2023. Dr. Grit Martinez represented Ecologic Institute in this exchange and presented her experiences from interdisciplinary marine collaboration in the EU research project RISC-KIT.

The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating?!

7 - 9 June 2023
Grit Martinez

Presentation:Panel discussion

Event Flyer TAPP Round Table Aaron Scheid

At this round table, organized by the TAPP (True Animal Protein Price) Coalition, the panel discussed a study that shows that true costs for animal products that takes into account all societal costs has a positive impact on society. The study was co-authored by Aaron Scheid and Benjamin Görlach from Ecologic Institute.

Pay as You Eat Meat

23 May 2023
Aaron Scheid

Presentation:Panel discussion

As part of the Future Leaders' Global Policy Forum from 22 to 23 May 2023 in Milan, Benedict Bueb, Researcher at Ecologic Institute, took part in a panel discussion on tackling the climate crisis and its impacts. He was joined on the panel by Abla Abdel Latif, Director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES) and Nicola Monti, CEO of Edison. Keynote speeches by Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vera Songwe, Co-Chair of the High Level Panel on Climate Finance of the World Economic Forum (WEF) completed the panel.

The Role of Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation

23 May 2023
Benedict Bueb

Presentation:Speech

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.

Environmental Criminal Law for Police Officers in NRW

3 May 2023
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Speech

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. The talk aimed to explore best practices and policy options that can help manage agriculture's impact on water resources, as well as address challenges to agriculture due to weather events such as droughts and floods.

Addressing the Impact of Droughts and Flooding on Agriculture

25 April 2023
Dr. Ulf Stein

Presentation:Speech

At the online conference, "Moore II: Restoring Intact Ecosystems and Sustainable Use – Pathways to Success," held on 25 April 2023, Gregory Fuchs presented a policy paper stressing the need for freshwater ecosystem restoration. The event, organized to support the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration, specifically focused on peatland restoration.

Freshwater Ecosystem Restoration

25 April 2023
Gregory Fuchs

Presentation:Speech

On Thursday, 20 April 2023, INTERLACE hosted a Cities Talk Nature Talks webinar, aiming to strengthen cooperation, learning, and peer-to-peer interactions on the local, regional, and global scales. Natalia Burgos presented on governance instruments to mainstream nature-based solutions and shared best practices gathered in the Urban Governance Atlas.

Municipal Strategies for Long-term Implementation of NbS

20 April 2023
Natalia Burgos Cuevas

Presentation:Speech

A key objective of the Interlace project is strengthening cooperation, learning, and peer-to-peer interactions between regions and projects. As part of this process, Natalia Burgos from the Interlace team was invited to take part in a knowledge exchange Task Force organized by Clearing House Project. The Task Force took place in Bogotá (Colombia) on 30 and 31 March 2023 and focused on discussing strategies for urban forest management and implementation, with an emphasis on governance and community participation.

Policy Frameworks to Foster the Implementation of Nature-based Solutions

30 March 2023
Natalia Burgos Cuevas

Presentation:Lecture

On 29 March 2023, Doris Knoblauch and Mandy Hinzmann gave a lecture on "Plastics and the Environment" in a postgraduate course, where 19 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. 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.

Plastics & The Environment – Responsibilities and Implications Between North and South

29 March 2023
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Panel discussion

On 21 March 2023, Aaron Scheid presented Ecologic Institute's analysis of the German CAP Strategic Plan at the NABUtalk on the next CAP reform. He joined State Secretary Silvia Bender and CAP experts Dr. Sebastian Lakner, Sönke Beckmann, and Dr. Norbert Röder to discuss the upcoming CAP reform. They further addressed the issue of phasing out flat-rate payments and creating income for farms by rewarding climate, biodiversity and environmental services. A look at the EU's neighboring countries and the United Kingdom and look at new (and innovative?) models completed the discussion. Aaron's presentation slides are available for download.

What's in for Climate and Environment?

21 March 2023
Aaron Scheid

Presentation:Panel discussion

Carbon farming promises to mitigate climate change whilst generating income for farmers – but can this promise be realised, and what are the risks? The European Parliament’s Environment and Agricultural Committees held a joint hearing to understand how EU policy can support on-farm carbon sequestration. The hearing featured two panels, including a presentation from Ecologic Institute Fellow Hugh McDonald on the challenges of carbon farming certification.

The Challenges of Certifying Carbon Farming

20 March 2023
Hugh McDonald

Presentation:Panel discussion

Webbanner for scrubbing the skies webinar series

Alongside Anne Siemons (Oeko-Institut), Hugh McDonald critically presented a soil-focussed assessment of the EU Commission's recently proposed Framework for Carbon Removals Certification.

Certifying Soil Carbon Removals

14 March 2023
Hugh McDonald

3 February 2023
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Lecture

first presentation slide "Przeciwdziałanie zmianom klimatu w mieście: zintegrowane koncepcje i strategie rozwoju lokalnego"

On 15 January 2023 Ewa Iwaszuk gave a lecture to the students of Intercollegiate Academy of Climate, a post-graduate diploma course jointly run by three universities in Poland. Ewa’s lecture presented key steps and elements that need to be considered by local governments when developing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. It also presented a landscape of local governance instruments that can be developed and implemented to support integrated planning, cross-sectoral cooperation, participation of citizens and sustainable implementation of such strategies.

Addressing Climate Change in Cities: Integrated concepts and strategies for local development

15 January 2023
Ewa Iwaszuk

Presentation:Interview

Climate adaptation and climate protection are among the most important challenges of our time and have therefore become a major policy responsibility. The same applies to protecting biodiversity and ensuring the availability of water. Nature-based solutions (NBS) can play an essential role in addressing these challenges, as they are multifunctional and can generate high synergy effects. But what exactly are NBS, what do they have to do with climate adaptation, and can they be implemented? Sandra Naumann, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, answered these questions in an interview with adelphi. The interview was published in the fifth issue of the Center for Climate Adaptation's Newsletter.

What Do Nature-based Solutions Have to Do with Climate Adaptation?

30 November 2022
Sandra Naumann

Presentation:Interview

Diverse crop rotation, mechanical weed control, beneficial insects to protect crops: According to a study commissioned by BUND, standard practice in organic farming could also be used more often by conventional farmers. Aaron Scheid from the Ecologic Institute and author of the study in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio about non chemical plant protection measures.

Alternatives to Pesticides also Exist for Conventional Agriculture

Presentation:Interview

In an interview with "Bürger schaffen Wissen", the central platform for citizen science in Germany, Linda Mederake (Ecologic Institute) and Tim Kiessling (Kiel Science Factory) talk about the history of the citizen science project "Plastic Pirates", their experiences in working with school classes and their expectations for the ECSA Conference 2022.

We Use Citizen Science to Contribute to Planetary Health

4 October 2022
Linda Mederake

Presentation:Chairing

From 21 to 22 September 2022, the INTERLACE project held the first European Cities Talk Nature Engagement Event in Kraków (Poland). Sandra Naumann, Coordinator of the INTERLACE project and Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, opened the conference by presenting the INTERLACE project and its work on the ground to the audience.

Cities Talk Nature Europe: Nature, Places, People

21 September 2022
Sandra Naumann

Presentation:Panel discussion

Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute, gave a speech at the international academic conference "Towards the Polish Climate Protection Act" on 7 September 2022 in Szczecin (Poland). He presented the main features of the German Federal Climate Change Act and its revision based on the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court on 24 March 2021. He also participated in the panel discussion.

The German Federal Climate Change Act

7 September 2022
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Speech

McKenna Davis, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, held a keynote speech at the conference "Designing Urban Spaces with Nature" on 7 September 2022 in Eindhoven (the Netherlands). She spoke about the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) across key European policy initiatives as a framework for enhancing local NBS action, building on her work for the European Environmental Agency and Naturvation project. She also highlighted good practice examples of policy instruments supporting NBS in the Netherlands, which are part of the Urban Governance Atlas currently being developed within the INTERLACE project.

Nature-based Solutions Across European Policies

7 September 2022
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Interview

Video screenshot: Dr. Stephan Sina infront of a lake or river

The environmental disaster on the Oder River has brought the issue of environmental crime back into the spotlight. In a video report by the TV station Deutsche Welle, experts, including Stephan Sina from Ecologic Institute, explain the reasons for the difficulties in prosecuting environmental crimes and possible approaches for improvement. The contribution "Environmental Crime – How do they get away with it?" can be viewed online.

Environmental Crime – How do they get away with it?

5 September 2022
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Speech

On 16 and 17 August 2022, the 3rd International Forum on Urbanism – Portoviejo Vision 2035, for urban development and design of cities on a human scale with a focus on climate change, was held in the Las Vegas Park in the city of Portoviejo. Natalia Burgos Cuevas, Researcher at Ecologic Institute, was invited as keynote speaker to talk about on the promotion of nature-based solutions in Latin America drawing on the insights gathered from the Urban Governance Atlas, developed in INTERLACE.

Nature-based Solutions in Latin America

16 August 2022
Natalia Burgos Cuevas

Presentation:Interview

In an interview with Sinan Reçber of the Berlin daily Der Tagesspiegel, Rodrigo Vidaurre and Benedict Bueb of Ecologic Institute discussed what measures can be taken in various sectors to lessen the impact of droughts in Germany. In addition to water-sensitive urban development, which increasingly relies on nature-based solutions to store water during dry periods, this includes the cultivation of drought-resistant agricultural varieties as well as the rewetting of peatlands.

How Germany Can Cope with Future Droughts

16 August 2022
Benedict Bueb

Presentation:Speech

The biodiversity and climate crises are increasingly threatening planetary biodiversity and dependent livelihoods. Linkages between these two crises are already recognised by science and policy, but they are still not sufficiently addressed in integrated manner in practice. Nature-based solutions (NBS) and ecosystem-based approaches have the potential to enhance these synergies and deliver multiple benefits for ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change mitigation and adaptation, human well-being among other objectives. This topic was explored during the "International workshop on strengthening synergies for biodiversity and climate in multifunctional landscapes", organized by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). Sandra Naumann, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, was a keynote speaker, presenting on the potential but also limitations of NBS to achieve climate and biodiversity goals.

Nature-Based Solutions – What can they really achieve?

4 August 2022
Sandra Naumann

Presentation:Interview

Concrete and asphalt make cities up to 10 degrees hotter than the rural areas. In Poland, however, there is a persistent impression that greenspace is a nuisance that is best gotten rid of, says Ewa Iwaszuk of the Ecologic Institute in Berlin. She points out that the situation in Germany is better because nature has been considered an indispensable part of the city since the 1990s. She talks about innovative nature-based solutions that can mitigate climate change in cities and explains the introduction of blue-green infrastructure. Monika Sędzierska from the COSMO editorial office moderated the conversation.

Green Cities for the Heat

27 July 2022
Ewa Iwaszuk

Presentation:Speech

On 4 July 2022, McKenna Davis from the Ecologic Institute spoke to the 2nd step of this methodology: EXPLORING existing urban greening policies, plans and regulations to identify gaps and understand local needs. Representing the CLEVER Cities project, she provided insights on how to ensure coherent and coordinated policymaking and align objectives across sectors and policies. She also highlighted relevant EU policies and initiatives supporting nature-based solutions to contextualise local action towards NBS mainstreaming.

Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions

4 July 2022
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Panel discussion

Carbon farming refers to a range of agricultural techniques that increase the ability of the soil to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. This is crucial to achieving the European Green Deal goal of becoming CO₂-neutral by 2050. However, there are still many political and technical issues. Ecologic Institute's panel discussions included input on the report "Carbon farming. Making agriculture fit for 2030" and presented further thinking on carbon farming.

Carbon Farming

23 June 2022
Aaron Scheid

Presentation:Speech

On 22 June 2022, experts from various disciplines exchanged views on the transformation of the food system towards a more plant-based diet. More than 400 interested participants attended the event, which is part of the National Dialogue on Sustainable Food Systems in the context of the UN Food Systems Summit.

National Food System Dialogues: Increasing the plant-based share in our diets

22 June 2022
Stephanie Wunder

Presentation:Interview

As the war in Ukraine escalates, the climate crisis continues. But environmental policy in particular could build important bridges, reminds Dr. Camilla Bausch Scientific & Executive Director of Ecologic Institute. In an interview with Elisabeth von Thadden, she discusses, among other things, the environmental impact of the war and the dichotomy over Ukraine's demand to the secretariats of thirteen major international environmental agreements to exclude Russia from relevant decision-making bodies and suspend Russian membership in the agreements.

In Environmental Policy, We Cannot Afford a Bloc Formation

16 April 2022
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Interview

R. Andreas Kraemer, founder of the Ecologic Institute and co-chair of the investment committee of the Ökovision Fund, puts it in a nutshell: "Neither nuclear power nor coal can replace gas or oil from Russia, and right now it is becoming clear how important energy efficiency and renewable energies are. We at Ökovision are counting on this and see no reason to reconsider our strict criteria". The article in the magazine "Finanztest" also shows that there are large grey areas in sustainable investment because criteria are formulated and applied differently. Especially with index funds or ETFs, investors cannot be sure how their money is invested.

Sustainable Investment: Weapons and nuclear power remain taboo

12 April 2022
R. Andreas Kraemer

Presentation:Chairing

The World Water Day, was introduced by the United Nations in 1992 to remind people of water as an essential resource for life. For this year's theme "Groundwater – making the invisible visible", Ecologic Institute co-organized a webinar to present an augmented reality app that was developed as part of the project Digital Water City (DWC). The webinar was moderated by Alexander Sperlich (BWB) and Dr. Ulf Stein (Ecologic Institute).

Making Groundwater Visible

22 March 2022
Dr. Ulf Stein

Presentation:Panel discussion

The question of the limits to growth is more relevant than ever. Historically, economic growth has almost always been accompanied by increasing environmental damage. The policies of European countries now want to break this historical link through "green growth". The economy should continue to grow, but without negative consequences for the environment. From a scientific perspective, however, it is disputed whether such a decoupling is realistic. Dr. Michael Jakob from Ecologic Institute discussed this apparent contradiction between politics and science with Prof. Dr. Doris Fuchs and Dr. Steffen Lange during a press briefing on 25 February 2022.

Is Green Growth Possible?

25 February 2022
Dr. Michael Jakob

Presentation:Interview

In June 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the national climate law was inadequate, and needed to be amended. The German government reacted swiftly, and increased the ambition of the emission reduction targets implemented in the climate law. In two epdisodes of the Fidelity Kapitalmarkt podcast, Benjamin Görlach and the podcast host Carsten Roemheld take stock of the challenges ahead for German and European climate policy under the new German government. In particular, they discuss how the transformation to climate neutrality can be reconciled with industrial competitiveness and social fairness.

Can Politics Stop Climate Change?

19 January 2022
Benjamin Görlach

Presentation:Speech

On 19 January 2022, Dr. Stephan Sina, Senior Fellow of Ecologic Institute, participated as an expert in a hearing of the Committee for Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection of the North Rhine-Westphalian Parliament on the motion of the parliamentary group BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN "Bekämpfung von Umweltkriminalität in NRW endlich stärken – Schwerpunktstaatsanwaltschaft und Koordinierungsstelle für NRW einrichten" (Drucks. 17/14258). Together with three other experts and the working group of the municipal umbrella organizations of North Rhine-Westphalia, he commented on the motion and answered questions from members of parliament.

Hearing on Strengthening the Fight Against Environmental Crime in NRW

19 January 2022
Dr. Stephan Sina

Presentation:Speech

What kind of Europe do we want for the year 2035? This question is addressed by the EU initiative 'Conference on the Future of Europe', which enables European citizens to discuss their own ideas for Europe's future. Within the member states respective National Citizens' Panels, participants developed policy recommendations that were later passed on to the Conference. Ecologic Institute's Matthias Duwe gave a presentation on the topic of Climate and Environment at the Citizens' Forum in Germany on 15 January 2022.

National Citizens' Panel on the Future of Europe

15 January 2022
Matthias Duwe

Presentation:Panel discussion

How can European citizens become architects of the cities of tomorrow? The New European Bauhaus is an initiative to make our living spaces and experiences more beautiful, sustainable and inclusive. Nature-based solutions are seen as a key element to achieve this vision. To this end, the hybrid conference 'LIFE in the New European Bauhaus' was held from 15 until 17 November 2021. Sandra Naumann from the Ecologic Institute was invited as an expert to share insights from the H2020 INTERLACE project.

INTERLACE in the New European Bauhaus

17 November 2021
Sandra Naumann

Presentation:Speech

The climate crisis is impacting cities and communities across the globe. As extreme weather events become increasingly frequent, cities must work together to find effective nature-based solutions (NBS) to adapt to their changing climates. As lead partner in the BEGIN project, the Dutch city of Dodrecht welcomed cities, practitioners, researchers and citizens to join the conversation on the future of livable cities. To this end, the NEXT LEVEL 2021 conference was held as a hybrid event on the 20th of October 2021. Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis was invited as an expert to present on NBS governance and policy.

Taking Nature-based Solutions to the Next Level

20 October 2021
McKenna Davis

Presentation:Speech

Mandy Hinzmann, fellow researcher at the Ecologic Institute, gave a presentation in a scientific session of the World Resources Forum, which took place from 12 until 14 October 2021. She presented key policy options on how to foster the circular economy in the European textiles sector. She also participated in the discussion session after the presentations.

Fostering the Circular Economy in the Textiles Sector

13 October 2021
Mandy Hinzmann

Presentation:Panel discussion

Delivering for "People, Planet, Prosperity" is the proclaimed aim of the Italian G20 Presidency. The question as to how the G20 should work towards this aim was discussed at the Think 20 (T20) Summit in Milan in early October. The T20 Summit brought together 51 speakers, over 800 in-person participants and 16,000 online attendees from all over the world, reaching over 1 million people through social media.

Climate and Growth: The Road to a Green Recovery

4 October 2021
Dr. Camilla Bausch

28 January 2021
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Speech

Invited by the Indian Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), McKenna Davis (Ecologic Institute) joined the "International Knowledge Conclave on Green Infrastructure" and presented on 'Policy instruments to promote urban nature-based solutions in Europe'. She focused on the range of policy, planning and financial instruments relevant for nature-based solution design, implementation and maintenance within a European context. Her presentation slides and a guidance document she co-authored are available for download.

Policy Instruments to Promote Urban Nature-based Solutions in Europe

18 December 2020
McKenna Davis

13 May 2020
Stephanie Wunder

Presentation:Speech

The Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and the Àerea Metropolitanade Barcelona (AMB) invited Doris Knoblauch from Ecologic Institute to speak at the workshop "Metropolitan Challenges in the post 2020 European Union" in Barcelona (Spain), on 10 March 2020. In her presentation, the expert discussed the substantive and organisational importance of the European Green Deal for cities and metropolitan areas.

What Does the European Green Deal Mean for Cities and Metropolitan Areas?

10 March 2020
Doris Knoblauch

Presentation:Speech

In the webinar series "Why do we need a climate law?" Matthias Duwe, Head Climate at Ecologic Institute, presented three key elements of a sound climate law: (1) the coordination of long-term planning and short-term policy, (2) monitoring progress, and (3) mechanisms for coordinating sectoral policies. In particular, he focused on the Slovenian climate law and showed how to adopt the European lessons learned within the Slovenian context.

How to Integrate European Lessons Learned on Climate Laws in the Slovenian Context?

5 March 2020
Matthias Duwe

Presentation:Speech

On 22 February 2020, Benedict Bueb of Ecologic Institute was invited to speak on Environmental Inequality at the International Alumni Center (iac) of the Robert Bosch Stiftung. During the workshop "Inequality: From grassroots to policy-making" he presented different perspectives on the topic. He highlighted that not only the social effects of environmental changes and environmental policy decisions, but also access to environmental policy decision-making are often very unequally distributed.

Environmental Inequality: Dimensions and Policy Options

22 February 2020
Benedict Bueb

Presentation:Speech

The concept of climate services is rapidly climbing research-funding agendas word-wide. Initially climate services focused on improving access to climate data but have since evolved into user informed activities. Still, there is a long way to go to make climate services not only usable but also useful for regional and local decision maker. Paying attention to this matter, the sixth International Climate Service Conference in Pune, India focused among others on the architecture of user participation, contextualization of climate services and ethical question on its provision. Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute presented the Institute's recent research results from the European research project Innovation in Climate Service Provision.

On the Way to Demand Driven Climate Services

12 February 2020
Grit Martinez

Presentation:Chairing

On 4 and 5 February 2020, Ecologic Institute's McKenna Davis and Ewa Iwaszuk attended an expert workshop "Mobilizing up-scaling of Nature-based Solutions for climate change throughout 2020 and beyond" convened by the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission (DG ENV). McKenna Davis moderated a discussion on mobilising the biodiversity benefits of nature-based solutions (NBS) deployed for climate action.

23 September 2019
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Speech

Hannes Schritt hold a presentation concerning water in Berlin and Virtual Water at the BUNDjugend German-Egyptian Youth Exchange in Berlin. As part of the presentation he explained the water cycle of Berlin: Treated waste water is reused as drinking water to ensure water availability. In addition, Berlin gets drinking water by river bank filtration from Havel, Spree and Dahme. As a result of both, Berlin's drinking water quality depends on good water quality of the effluent of the waste water treatment plants and the rivers crossing the city. After presenting primarily technical aspects Hannes Schritt talked about political conflicts and inititiatives concerning water in Berlin and the concept of Virtual Water. The presentation slides are available for download.

Water in Berlin – Virtual Water

7 August 2019
Hannes Schritt

Presentation:Panel discussion

Environmental journalism has always been a cross-cutting topic. There are journalists in many countries who specialise in environmental topics. However, environmental topics mostly do not have their own department at media outlets. Hence, publishing such media pieces often highly depends on current political processes and above all on current, public discussions. Ecologic Institute's Marius Hasenheit discussed the role of media, especially social media, in communicating environmental issues in Egypt, at the 61st Cairo Climate Talks.

The Role of Social Media in Communicating Climate Change – 61th Cairo Climate Talks

25 June 2019
Marius Hasenheit

21 February 2019
Linda Mederake

Presentation:Chairing

With the start of the three-year dialogue for food waste reduction in the out-of-home sector forum, the prevention of food waste in out-of-home catering is being systematically tackled. This process will develop cross-industry guidelines for action and adopt binding targets. Ecologic Institute supports the implementation of the process and dialogue. Stephanie Wunder moderated the kick-off event.

Dialogue for Food Waste Reduction in the Out-of-home Sector

20 February 2019
Stephanie Wunder

Presentation:Speech

"More organic, more regional food, fit for the future – Transition of food systems through urban-rural cooperation" was the motto of this year's STADTLANDBIO Congress. Stephanie Wunder presented the policy recommendations of the research project "Rural Urban Nexus". She focused on the relevance of secure access to land for regional food producers.

Regional Food Systems in the Rural Urban Nexus

14 - 15 February 2019
Stephanie Wunder

Presentation:Panel discussion

Senator Bernie Sanders invited some of the most prominent voices in America to the US Congress to discuss how to handle the increasing threat of climate change. Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute reflected on global trends in the field of energy, climate policy, and business.

Solving our Climate Crisis: Dr. Bausch at Senator Bernie Sanders' National Town Hall Meeting in Washington DC

3 December 2018
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Lecture

On 30 November 2018, Linda Mederake, Junior Researcher at Ecologic Institute, presented the Institute's activities in the field of plastics governance to a group of students from the International Degree Program Political Management (B.A.) at Hochschule Bremen, City University of Applied Sciences. The presentation took place in the context of an excursion of the study programme, during which the students got to know the "political Berlin" and exchanged views on several selected topics with various actors from research, politics, business and civil society.

The Governance of Plastics

30 November 2018
Linda Mederake

15 October 2018
Matthias Duwe

Presentation:Panel discussion

Ecologic Institute contributed to the Agenda Conference for Social-Ecological Research (SÖF) by leading on and supporting research theme clusters. The event took place in Kassel on 19 and 20 September. It ended with an outlook by Florian Frank from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), who called for "dangerous" research to solve pressing socio-ecological problems.

"Dangerous" Research that Supports Societal Change – Ecologic Institute participates in agenda-setting for social-ecological research

19 - 20 September 2018
Dr. Camilla Bausch

Presentation:Speech

In July 2018, Sandra Naumann from the Ecologic Institute joined the 2nd International Seminar on nature-based solutions in Brasilia (Brazil) to discuss the state of knowledge, experiences and challenges to implement nature-based solutions (NBS). She presented an overview of the almost 1000 NBS contained within the Urban Nature Atlas as well as results from the EU and national policy review conducted as part of the EU-funded NATURVATION project. Attendees included over 100 representatives of Brazilian and European cities, national and local authorities and decision makers, research, business and international organisations. The presentation slides are available online.

Taking Stock of NBS in European Cities and Related Policies

9 - 10 July 2018
Sandra Naumann

Presentation:Chairing

If and how Germany can afford the coal phase-out was the subject of the presentation by Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert at an event, which took place on the heels of the first meeting of the new German task force for phasing out coal power. Co-hosted by the DIW Berlin and the OECD Berlin, Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute discussed with Prof. Kemfert and the audience the broad range of relevant questions.

Opportunities and Challenges Regarding the Coal Phase-out

27 June 2018
Dr. Camilla Bausch

22 January 2018
Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf

Presentation:Chairing

At a time of turbulence and change in the EU, the Tönissteiner Kreis discussed options for "Building green bridges for Europe" at its annual conference. As part of this broad subject, Dr. Camilla Bausch of Ecologic Institute discussed the energy transition, its prospects and international dimensions with Graeme Maxton (General Secretary of the Club of Rome), Martin Kaiser (Executive Director at Greenpeace Germany) and Dr. Markus Hartwig, a green energy entrepreneur.

The International Dimensions of the Energy Transition

19 - 21 January 2018
Dr. Camilla Bausch

23 May 2017
Dr. Zoritza Kiresiewa

Presentation:Chairing

On 11 and 12 November 2014, stakeholders and decision-makers, including municipalities, businesses, and scientists, met at the congress "100% Renewable Energy Regions" in Kassel to exchange best practices for the energy transition. In a forum on the "Masterplan 100% Climate Protection" chaired by Arne Riedel (Ecologic Institute), three participants from counties Osnabrück and Steinfurt as well as the municipality Neumarkt discussed their approaches providing insights into the ongoing process of implementation.

Masterplan 100% Climate Protection

12 November 2014
Arne Riedel, LLM

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Economics
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Adaptation
Agriculture
Arctic
Biodiversity
Bioeconomy
Cities
Climate
Climate Foreign Policy
Coastal + Marine
Communication
Consumer Policy
Culture + Ecology
Digitalization
EU
Economics
Education
Energy
Environmental Law – Ecologic Legal
Evaluation
Events
Finance
Food
Foreign Policy
Governance
Health
Indicators
Industry
International Development
Land Use
Mobility
Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure
Plastics
Public Diplomacy
Resource Conservation + Circular Economy
Trade
Water