The DÁVGI project aims to provide a basis for the exchange of knowledge and expertise to improve collaboration between Indigenous rights holders, environmental and other non-governmental organizations, local stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers, in order to strengthen the conservation and restoration of biocultural diversity in the Arctic. Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, this project is a combined effort of the Saami Council, Ecologic Institute, and IASS.

The Arctic Winter College was a series of weekly webinars, featuring diverse experts and hosted by organizer Victoria Herrmann (President and Managing Director of The Arctic Institute). It focused on the theme "Arctic on the Move." The class schedule featured 20 great researchers, policy practitioners, and Traditional Knowledge holders.

In the scope of the SUDEA project, Ecologic Institute and its partners analyse the challenges of sustainable urban development, to build up city environments that match with global environmental goals. The project's main hypothesis is, that urban development in the Arctic will be more sustainable if the positions of local stakeholders are reflected in decision-processes and policies are aligned across the national and regional level.

The consequences of climate change are much more visible in the Arctic than in other regions of the world. The increasing loss of sea ice allows to use parts of the Arctic Ocean for a longer time and more intensively than before. This could threaten biodiversity in the polar region critically. Ecologic Institute and its partners are analyzing how a network of marine protected areas in the region could help to conserve marine biodiversity and ensure the functioning of marine ecosystems and their effective management.

The aim of the project participants is to provide the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) with scientific support in communicating the results of the IPCC Special Reports on "Climate Change and Land" (SRCCL) and "The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate" (SROCC). This is achieved by preparing the contents of the special reports by means of core messages, explanatory texts and presentations in webinars.

"Strengthening Cooperation between Arctic and Non-Arctic Countries" was the theme of a meeting of Arctic Think Tanks at the Arctic Circle Assembly 2018 in Reykjavík, Iceland. The focus was on the role and functions of policy institutes – or think tanks – in addressing the specific challenges of the Circumpolar North and how its peoples and countries relate with the rest of the world. The meeting was convened by the Arctic Summer College.

Ecologic Institute supports the Horizon 2020 project "Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium" (ARICE) with Arne Riedel as an Ehics advisor.

The Arctic Summer College 2018 virtual campus was open to participating Arctic experts, specialists and students in July and August 2018. It provided information on a wide range of topics, including the regional impact of climate change on the Arctic, local challenges such as land use, energy production and distribution and food security, as well as activities in the Arctic Council and the need for a vision for the Arctic.

How can we improve policy monitoring of national implementation to further protect the Arctic environment and its inhabitants? With the WWF Arctic Council Scorecards, Ecologic Institute and WWF International Arctic Programme continue and update the overview of the implementation status of specific recommendations by the Arctic Council with a particular focus on maritime activities, climate change and biodiversity protection as well as ecosystem-based management.

The Arctic Summer College 2017 virtual campus was open to participating Arctic experts, specialists and students in July and August 2017. It provided information on a wide range of topics, including the regional impact of climate change on the Arctic, local challenges such as land use, energy production and distribution and food security, as well as activities in the Arctic Council and the need for a vision for the Arctic.

In the Arctic, increasing economic activities such as shipping and tourism as well as exploration and extraction of mineral resources are meeting unique, protected nature and harsh environmental conditions. In addition, the effects of climate change are much more perceptible in the Arctic than in other regions of the world. Air and water temperatures have risen faster than the global average in recent decades. The changes in the region also have an impact on the rest of the world. For example, melting continental ice masses contributes to rising sea levels and releasing methane from thawing permafrost soils contributes to global warming.

How can we improve policy monitoring of national implementation to further protect the Arctic environment and its inhabitants? With the WWF Arctic Council Scorecards, Ecologic Institute and WWF International Arctic Programme undertook the effort to provide a first overview of the implementation status of specific recommendations by the Arctic Council with a particular focus on maritime activities, climate change and biodiversity protection as well as ecosystem-based management.

The Arctic Summer College is a virtual campus for learning about the environment in the Arctic and exchanging ideas on how the world can protect the Arctic from negative impacts of human activities in the High North. The college focuses on climate change adaptation, natural resource management, biodiversity protection, environmental governance, and human health. The Arctic Summer College 2016 enabled participants to be better prepared to finding solutions and implementing these in social and political processes.

The Arctic Summer College is a virtual campus for learning about the environment in the Arctic and exchanging ideas on how the world can protect the Arctic from negative impacts of human activities in the High North. The college focuses on climate change adaptation, natural resource management, biodiversity protection, environmental governance, and human health. The Arctic Summer College 2015 enabled participants to be better prepared to finding solutions and implementing these in social and political processes.

From 23 June to 25 August 2014, the Arctic Summer College 2014 took place. Within 10 weekly webinars, various Arctic experts presented their knowledge. Each session ended with a discussion of the daily topic amongst all participants.

The Ecologic Institute and the Atlantic Council, through their Emerging Leaders in Environmental and Energy Policy Network (ELEEP), created the Arctic Climate Change Emerging Leaders (ACCEL) Fellowship in the spring of 2014. The Fellowship aims to train the next generation of Arctic Ambassadors and is a unique summer opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, interested in building careers focused on international security, environmental issues, shipping and trade, energy and natural resources, or public relations and diplomacy. First outcomes are now available at the ACCEL website.

On Earth Day 2013, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Ecologic Institute officially launched the 2013 Arctic Summer College. Following successful programs in 2011 and 2012, the Arctic Summer College 2013 again created a network of emerging leaders and experts that are brought together for 8 weeks in web-based seminars (webinars) from 8 July to 26 August 2013. The program aimed to build a lasting, policy-oriented network of Arctic professionals to strengthen communication between peoples and nations, scientific disciplines, policy areas, and across the science-policy field to improve environmental governance in the Arctic region.

The Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of development of the Arctic seeks to strengthen communication and outreach within the EU and between the EU and Arctic communities regarding the EU’s contribution to addressing environmental and other issues raised by the rapid development of the Arctic region as a result of economic and climate change. The Preparatory Action project aims to bring together scientific knowledge and stakeholder perspectives, increase awareness about the changing Arctic, enhance understanding of the impacts of EU policies, and test the effectiveness and sustainability of the network and a European Union Arctic Information Centre (EUAIC).

Ecologic Institute launched its 2012 Arctic Summer College, a virtual course and network aiming to strengthen Arctic communication and build a lasting, policy-oriented network of Arctic professionals.

In this Project, Ecologic Institute elaborates policy options for the development of a strategy to protect the Arctic environment for the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The project entails an analysis of the environmental situation and the legal framework for environmental protection and sustainable development in the Arctic as well as an identification of Germany’s interests regarding environmental protection in this region.

The Arctic Summer College 2011, hosted by Ecologic Institute, provides a platform for Arctic researchers to debate and develop ideas about a range of issues facing Arctic decision-makers, such as: Arctic economic, environmental and security policy; the impacts of large scale energy projects at the regional scale; and approaches to ecosystem-based management.

A conference on "The Arctic Ocean Beyond National Jurisdiction" at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from 24 to 27 July 2011 explored the opportunities and challenges of expanded human use and options for future governance of the Central Arctic Ocean. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute participated as invited expert contributor in the conference.

On behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency, Ecologic Institute conducted a study on the impacts of individual tourism in Antarctica. The report "A Sustainable Tourism Concept for Antarctica" sheds light on possible approaches to tourism management and develops a set of recommendations for a sustainable tourism concept in Antarctica.</p>&#13;&#13;

Ecologic Institute cooperates on researching the "Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean".  The work culminates in a NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) and a book that addresses the prevention of conflicts in relation to scarcity of resources, and threats to environmental security with implications for economic, cultural and political instability. The project's main sponsor is the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS).

The Arctic is often referred to as the bellwether of global climate change. According to the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment and the most recent assessment from IPCC, the warming rate is twice that of the global average, with predictions of further increases leading to substantial loss of Arctic sea ice and large-scale thawing of the permafrost. The Arctic has also been a bellwether for the impact of long-range transboundary air pollution, both regarding human health and how pollutants affect wildlife. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals (e.g. mercury) are transported long distances through air and water, are deposited in the Arctic and bioaccumulate through the food chain. Some indigenous peoples have a high exposure to these pollutants, primarily through their diet. The goal of this project is to improve the effectiveness of EU environmental policies with respect to the Arctic region.

New maps identifying 77 Areas of Ecologically or Biologically Significance (EBSAs) in the Arctic marine environment are now available through a recent project led by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Ecologic Institute. The report identifies 13 "Super EBSAs" which are of key importance because they meet many or all criteria developed under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).The report is available for download.

The Arctic TRANSFORM project developed transatlantic policy options for supporting adaptation in the marine Arctic environment based on input from more than 50 experts on Arctic policy in the areas of environmental governance, indigenous peoples, hydrocarbons, shipping, and fisheries. Emphasis was placed on cross-sectoral synergies, stakeholder participation, and governance options in the Arctic.