Projects

Project
 
This project examines whether Member States are using CAP funding to support actions that lay the foundation for reducing livestock emissions in the next funding period. This includes informing discussions on whether additional policy measures will be needed beyond CAP support, given the necessary increase in climate ambition for the agricultural sector towards meeting the EU’s 2040 climate target.

Mitigating Livestock Emissions Through the CAP – Phase II

An in-depth analysis of livestock-relevant CAP interventions in five case-study countries

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The aim of this project is to prepare a report that will serve as the basis for the evaluation report on the Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solution for Climate and Biodiversity (ANK) to be submitted by the Federal Government in 2025. In March 2023, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) published the Federal Action Plan on Nature-based Solution for Climate and Biodiversity (ANK) with the aim of significantly improving ecosystems in Germany. It specifically counteracts the dual crisis of global heating and biodiversity loss.

Report to Support the Evaluation of Natural Climate Protection Action Programme (ANK) in 2025

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Rome, like many cities in Southern and Western Europe, is facing significant challenges from climate change, particularly in the form of Urban Heat Islands (UHI). To address these risks, PwC is leading a project funded by the EU's DG REFORM, with the Ecologic Institute playing a key supporting role. This project will develop a detailed UHI risk profile for Rome, integrating data on the city’s demographics, urban layout, transportation systems, and green spaces.

Tackling Urban Heat Islands in Rome

A Collaborative Effort for Climate Adaptation

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Ecologic Institute is working together with Biota and the Michael Succow Foundation to identify concrete and practical conflicts of interest in the restoration of peatlands. In addition, Ecologic Institute supports the identification of needs and deficits, the evaluation and development of legally compliant solutions and guidelines for dealing with these conflicting objectives as well as the development of practical guidance manuals.

Mitigate Conflicts of Interest Between Nature Conservation and Climate Protection in Peatland Protection

Development of Guidelines

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On behalf of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – BfN), Ecologic Institute, together with other project partners, is supporting the planning and implementation of the national restoration plans. Ecologic Institute actively contributes to the content of the work, in particular through its expertise in the assessment of ecosystem conditions and the development of measures for the protection and restoration of inland and coastal ecosystems.

Supporting the National Implementation of Nature Restoration Targets

Technical analyses and development of measures for inland and coastal areas as well as coordination of the overall project

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Ecologic Institute is preparing an assessment report on "Technological options for reducing plastic waste in the oceans". The report will provide a systematic overview of technologies designed to remove plastic waste from water bodies. The analysis will evaluate technical, ecological and economic aspects as well as risks and benefits. The report will present the current state of knowledge in a concise and scientifically robust manner, identify gaps in knowledge and provide a basis for informed decisions.

Technological Options for Reducing Plastic Waste in the Oceans

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The aim of the project is to obtain as accurate an overview as possible of the ecosystems in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea before the start of intensive human use. This will support the development of a scientific basis for decision-making that will enable the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the North Sea and Baltic Sea authorities to identify the need for political action to establish specific marine protected areas, to reintroduce projects in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea and to initiate appropriate measures.

The German North Sea and Baltic Sea over 100 Years Ago

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The aim of the project is to support German federal and state activities in the development of guidelines for dealing with water scarcity. The focus is on two aspects: the management of acute water scarcity and the strategic, forward-looking authorization of water withdrawals. By analyzing the legal framework, data and forecasts, scientifically sound indicators and prioritization approaches are developed. Special emphasis is placed on the involvement of relevant stakeholders in order to ensure acceptance and practicability.

Guidelines for Dealing with Water Scarcity

A national strategy for the future

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The marine Arctic is facing rapidly changing environmental conditions that are likely to require improved and adaptive management tools to protect its specialized ecosystems. Together with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel) and the Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Center Potsdam (RIFS), Ecologic institute conducts research for the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, supported by the Federal Ministry for Environment (BMUV), on potential new dynamics of Arctic marine protection and adaptive management from different angles.

Dynamic Protection and Adaptive Management – Arctic marine protection facing climate change (DynArc)

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This project will support the European Commission's DG CLIMA to develop policies related to the financing of permanent carbon removal technologies, with an emphasis on mechanisms that can accelerate their upscaling. These include tools like public procurement, public-private partnerships, and EU funding instruments.

Strategy for the Financing of Permanent Carbon Removals

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
The increasing frequency of floods and droughts highlights the urgent need for climate-resilient landscapes. This is where the European research project SpongeWorks comes in, demonstrating sustainable "sponge" measures in river basins across Greece, France, and the Netherlands/Germany. By restoring rivers, wetlands, and implementing innovative agricultural practices, landscapes are becoming better equipped to retain and release water in a controlled way. With 28 partners involved, the project aims to inspire other regions by sharing success stories and tools to promote "sponge landscapes" across Europe.

Implementing Nature-based Solutions for Water Retention and Climate Resilience in Europe (SpongeWorks)

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Re-use Logo
In the context of the political goal of strengthening the reuse of used goods, the project aimed at supporting and executing re-use measures in Berlin in order to foster structures and actors in Berlin that bring the used goods market out of its niche. To do so, the project draws on the experience of several predecessor projects including initial pilot tests, networking activities and the opening of the Re-Use Superstore.

Re-use Berlin Measures 2024-2025

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Project
 
The aim of the project is to support the promotion of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in tropical and subtropical coastal regions. This is to be achieved by strengthening the technical information base, promoting the international exchange of experience and developing and communicating policy- and implementation-oriented recommendations for action to decision-makers.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Coastal Regions Worldwide (TROPICAL ADAPT)

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Digital technologies have the potential to close economic loops, reduce CO2-emissions and increase resource efficiency. However, the possibilities of digitalisation for shaping a comprehensive circular economy are far from exhausted. This research project investigates how digital solutions can support consumers in aligning their consumption with sustainable and circular criteria.

Conceptualising and Planning Digital Solutions to Promote Sustainable Consumption for a Circular Economy

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Ecologic Institute supports the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV) in preparing the ratification of the so-called BBNJ Agreement and the related German implementing laws. The BBNJ Agreement of June 2023 is a UN treaty and the first multilateral legal framework for the protection of biodiversity on the high seas. Ecologic Institute identifies the obligations for Germany and which of them require new legislation, and drafts legal proposals for implementing provisions.

Implementing Legislation for the BBNJ Agreement

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Project
 
Livestock GHG-emissions are a significant contributor to agricultural GHG emissions. The latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding period has integrated several funding mechanisms designed to support the implementation of environmental and climate friendly practices through measures such as the eco-schemes and the agri-environmental-climate measures. Despite these positive approaches to reduce the emissions from livestock, the CAP still entails the risk of subsidizing high-emissions livestock production, in particular through coupled income support. This underlines the need for better understanding CAP funding mechanism for effective reduction of livestock emissions.

Mitigating Livestock Emissions Through the CAP

A brief analysis of livestock-relevant CAP interventions in five case-study countries

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Project
 
Oeko-Institut and Ecologic Institute are jointly supporting the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz – BfN) in the necessary further development of environmental legislation at federal level in line with the objectives of the new NBS 2030 and the EU-BDS. The aim of this project is to identify existing deficits in national biodiversity protection and to develop proposals for improvement.

Legal Options for Biodiversity Protection

Implementation of the National Strategy on Biodiversity 2030 (NBS 2030)

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This project supports the European Commission (EC) in enhancing the integration of environmental, biodiversity, and climate goals in the EU budget post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). It provides insights and concrete recommendations for effective, efficient, coherent, and measurable external funding strategies, ensuring that these priorities are mainstreamed throughout budgetary processes to maximize their policy impact. The project's results will feed into the EC's proposal for the post-2027 MFF, expected by mid-2025.

Mainstreaming Climate and Biodiversity Objectives in EU International Funding Programmes in the Post-2027 Period

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The project objective was to analyse several datasets to gather insights on the progress of concepts of just resilience/equity within adaptation planning/policies at both national and sub-national levels in EEA countries. These insights are included in the Just Resilience report, published in 2025 by the EEA and in a separate draft briefing on just resilience at the national/sub-national level.

Data Analysis on Just Resilience

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Project
 
As part of the implementation of its NDC, the Chinese government is focusing on further developing its climate legislation. According to recent developments, China plans to develop an environmental code with a chapter on climate. The Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) supports the Chinese side by strengthening exchange between experts and stakeholders from the two countries and providing information on German and EU experience in this field. In this context, Ecologic Institute will conduct two studies on German and European climate legislation, one of them focusing on the structure of climate-related laws and their relationship to environmental laws.

Analyses of German and European Climate Law Structure

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Ecologic Institute is conducting a review of the current sanctions regime in emissions trading for the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) and making proposals for improvements to enforcement and the legal situation. The focus of the project is on administrative offence law.

Efficient Enforcement of Sanctions in Emissions Trading Law

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Project
 
Scaling up nature-based solutions (NbS) to deliver their full range of potential benefits requires coordinated efforts to enhance technical skills, devise innovative financing mechanisms, and improve governance. The ‘EU-LAC Policy Dialogue on Nature-based Solutions’ – an initiative led by the Directorate General of Research and Innovation of the European Commission – aims to establish a regular exchange between the EU and Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) regions around nature-based solutions (NbS) to advance policy uptake and action in both regions.

Supporting an EU-LAC Policy Dialogue on Nature-Based Solutions

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The Brandenburg Action Plan for Organic Agriculture has been implemented since 2022 and aims to increase the proportion of organically farmed land in the state to 20 per cent by 2024. As part of the Action Plan for Organic Agriculture, product-related market information meetings will be organised to bring together market players from the agricultural and food sectors and discuss current developments, challenges and opportunities. These talks are key to strengthening the regional organic value chain and promoting dialogue between producers, processors and marketers.

Market Information Talks for the Organic Sector: Organic value chains for cereals, niche crops, meat and community catering

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The aim of this project is to compile an up-to-date overview of existing scientific studies on the economic valuation of marine ecosystems and their services, as well as on the environmental impacts of the oceans. The aim is to go beyond the consideration of short-term "provisioning services", both in terms of the ecosystem services recorded and in terms of geographical coverage.

Economic Valuation of Marine Ecosystems and Environmental Pressures on the Oceans

An inventory

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Project
 
The Plastic Pirates start a new small project in the autumn of 2024. The new focus this time: the river system of the Danube! The second-longest river of Europe, stretching over 2.850 kilometers, starts in the Black Forrest, and flows through a total of 10 countries before emptying in the Black Sea. The river system includes many important tributaries, for example the Isar, Inn and Lech. The new project focused on the Danube is an addition to the ongoing analysis of the Elbe River System and the German coasts. Gaining further insights in plastic pollution of these water bodies will be the aim of the Plastic Pirates’ 2024 autumn campaign period.

The Plastic Pirates Go to the Danube

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The project aims to quantitatively assess the carbon storage potential of the North Sea and Baltic Sea in good environmental status according to the MSFD and in good ecological status according to the WFD. This assessment will provide clear recommendations on how natural climate protection in the seas can be improved and whether the current targets are sufficient from a climate protection perspective.  

Strengthening the Carbon Storage Potential of the North Sea and Baltic Sea

Focus on good environmental status eutrophication

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Ecologic Institute acts as partner in a consortium led by COWI on a framework agreement (FWA) to support the European Investment Bank's (EIB) Advisory Services on Lot 6: Bioeconomy. Ecologic Institute will provide a range of services within the framework contract, including for example thematic expertise on sector "Natural resources & natural capital management" and horizontal sub-sectors "Capacity building, knowledge creation and dissemination", "Provision of advice on regulatory matters" and "Climate action – adaptation".

Advisory Services on Bioeconomy

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Ecologic Legal is supporting the German Federal Foreign Office in the international climate negotiations, particularly on the identification and analysis of German, EU and international negotiation positions. This project builds on previous work conducted in the projects on "Scientific and Legal and Support of the Climate Negotiations".

Scientific and Legal Support of the Climate Negotiations

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This project will help identify cross-sectoral (climate action) policies, instruments, and programmes that contribute to a carbon-neutral circular economy in the EU. It aims to identify options to optimise the policy interplay in different regions in order to support the achievement of the European climate action targets and to accelerate ambition increases in this decade and the next.

Cross-sectoral Climate Policies

for sustainable waste management and circular economy in the EU and beyond

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Project
 
Brandenburg's cabinet adopted a peatland protection program in March 2023, building on the National Peatland Protection Strategy and the 2021 "Climate Protection through Peatland Protection" initiative. The project aims to develop recommendations for communication on peatland protection in Brandenburg, examining the current communication landscape. The Ecologic Institute is commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg.

Communication Concept Implementation of Peatland Protection in Brandenburg

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This project for The Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) aims to convey in an effective and accessible way that our actions today have an impact on the future, especially on nature and the livelihoods of future generations. Through carefully designed visualizations that are based on scientific research, we want to show how the climate crisis is affecting nature and the German landscape, and how climate protection and adaptation can prevent damage, mitigate the effects of the biodiversity crisis and ultimately improve our lives.

The Impacts of Climate Change in Germany

Research and Visualization

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Project
 
The German agriculture sector faces significant climate-related challenges due to extreme weather events along with shifts in temperature patterns, impacting crop yields and biodiversity and exacerbating water scarcity and water quality deterioration. The Panda Fördergesellschaft (on behalf of WWF) is commissioning Ecologic Institute to create a handbook, "Water Stewardship in German Agriculture," aiming to offer practical solutions to enhance water retention, quality, and biodiversity. The handbook will include an overview of Germany's water situation, legal framework, specific measures with contextualised examples, and ways to promote collective action.

Water Stewardship in German Agriculture

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The Pacific Island Countries face severe climate-related challenges affecting water access and sanitation, endangering public health and hindering development. The PacFresH2O project aims to enhance rural communities' water resilience in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands by improving water infrastructure, implementing nature-based solutions and water resource management, integrating climate resilient WASH into national plans, and collaborating with local stakeholders to maximize socio-economic benefits and mitigate climate change impacts.

Protecting Freshwater Resources for Increased Climate Resilience in the Pacific Islands (PacFresH20)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
The project's ambition is to contribute to the systemic transformation needed for a nature-positive economy through collaborative multi-stakeholder research and innovation to provide clarity and guidance for policy, industry and society.

GoNaturePositive!

Co-creating a Nature-Positive World

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This project is focused on assessing and improving the impact of Climate-ADAPT through an evaluation that looks both backward and forward. The primary objective of the project is to comprehensively evaluate Climate-ADAPT, including its subsites such as the European Climate and Health Observatory and the EU Mission on Adaptation Portal.

Evaluation of the European Platform for Climate Adaptation Climate-ADAPT

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Project
 
Ecologic Institute is member of the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) which works with the European Environment Agency (EEA) under a Framework Partnership Agreement for the period from 2023-2026. The ETC BE is a Consortium of 24 European organisations with expertise in the topic area of terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Biodiversity and ecosystems is one of five strategic work areas in the EEA-Eionet Strategy 2021-2030.

European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems (ETC-BE) 2023-2026

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The goal of the research project is a feasibility study on the introduction of environmental information and classification system for pharmaceuticals in Germany. The results of this feasibility study will include not only an assessment of the organizational or legal viability but also the development of a comprehensive concept for the successful integration into the daily professional practices of doctors and pharmacists in Germany.

Feasibility Study on the Establishment of an Environmental Information and Classification System for Pharmaceuticals in Germany

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The project is targeted at postgraduate students, professionals and managers from developing countries and provides them with a wide range of skills in environmental management. It combines lecture series and interactive workshops to deepen the understanding of sustainable approaches such as ecosystem-based management (EBM), nature-based solutions (NbS) and restoration measures and to promote practical skills. The events on Vilm Island (May 30 to October 23, 2024) as well as previous formats, such as the 88th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course focusing on water resource management (October 2023 in Dresden), played a central role in knowledge transfer. The aim is to equip future decision-makers with the necessary tools to effectively tackle complex environmental and societal challenges.

Knowledge Transfer and Competence Building: Education for sustainable environmental management

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In a project for the European Climate Foundation (ECF), Ecologic Institute assesses the implementation status and the quality of the national implementing measures of selected provisions of these EU laws in six Member States. Ecologic Institute conducts country fiches on Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany and Spain, while Reform Institute conducts a country fiche on Poland. The project aims at getting a picture of the challenges of a timely and adequate implementation, also with a view to the recent amendments of the EU legislation within the "Fit for 55" package.

Analysis of the Implementation of EU Provisions for the Clean Energy Transition in Selected Member States

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The project objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the climate data users require and how this information can empower them to make informed decisions in the context of climate-related challenges. The project builds upon prior experiences of working with users across Europe. The project envisages the organization of user interaction sessions, encompassing six national and three transboundary events.

Enhancing User Intelligence: Targeted User Uptake for C3S

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The aim of this project was to assist the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change in providing an overall, long-term vision for the EU's governance of carbon removals, and offer technical assistance for the analysis of the policy architecture for carbon removals, including support with data analysis, financial analysis, literature reviews, policy evaluation, benchmarks, and expertise on forestry and agriculture.

Climate Change and Carbon Removals

Technical assistance to the European Scientific Advisory Board

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The EEA organised a foresight workshop on 12 October 2023 to discuss scenarios for EU environment and sustainability policy in the 2024-2029 policy cycle, with the aim of exploring possible future configurations of EU environment and climate policies and related implications. The results of the foresight workshop are also meant to inform the content and the characterisation of future policy scenarios in the 2024 edition of the EEA's Sustainability Transitions Outlook report. The Ecologic Instituted contributed to this process by supporting the concept development for the workshop, by facilitating two of four scenario groups at the foresight workshop, and by documenting outcomes.

Exploring 'Beyond Green Deal' Scenarios for the Policy Cycle 2024-2029 – What Role for the Environment and Sustainability?

Foresight workshop in support of the EEA Sustainability Transitions Outlook

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Project
 
How does climate change affect water quality and quantity, and thus human health and well-being? What adaptation measures can be taken to avoid or reduce the negative consequences? How can we use the best available information and tools to make informed decisions? These questions are at the heart of a new project, carried out by Ecologic Institute together with partners from Ramboll, Climate Analytics, EREDA Consultants and OIeau.

Climate Change Impacts on Water and Health

Climate-water-health nexus

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The importance of indicator frameworks in monitoring and evaluation of local adaptation action is increasingly recognized, but there is still limited knowledge shared on them. The primary goal of this project is to gather essential information on the monitoring and evaluation of adaptation strategies at the local level, providing insights into how cities measure progress on the ground.

Knowledge Development on Local Adaptation Indicators

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Project
 
Ecologic Legal is supporting the German Federal Foreign Office in the international climate negotiations, particularly on the identification and analysis of German, EU and international negotiation positions. This project builds on previous work conducted in the projects on "Scientific and Legal and Support of the Climate Negotiations".

Scientific and Legal Support of the Climate Negotiations

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
The Assessing Climate Change Risk in EUrope (ACCREU) project aims to support a just transition to climate resilience in the EU by co-creating and delivering actionable ideas and new knowledge. This project brings together diverse stakeholders to address climate change adaptation and mitigation in the face of new social and environmental challenges.

Assessing Climate Change Risk in Europe (ACCREU)

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Project
 
Since 2016, young people have been successfully researching and mapping plastic pollution in and around rivers in Germany. Now the expeditions are going into a new round: In the project "Plastic Pirates – German coast", school classes and youth groups search for plastic waste on the coasts and the river system of the Elbe – including its tributaries such as the Havel, Mulde or Saale.

Plastic Pirates – German coast

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Project
 
For the period 2023-2029, Ecologic Institute joined the Core Team of 20 senior experts supporting the European Evaluation Helpdesk for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). As part of the EU CAP Network, the Evaluation Helpdesk's mission is to ensure the effectiveness of CAP evaluations by specifically assisting managing authorities, national CAP networks, paying agencies, evaluators and the European Commission.

European Evaluation Helpdesk for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

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Project
 
Ecologic Institute and the Oeko-Institute have launched a project to analyse the ambition level of the 2040 target. The project also examines the impacts of a new 2040 target on EU Member States, sectors, and instruments.

EU 2040 Climate Target

Level of ambition and implications

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The Commission's proposal on the Carbon Removals Certification Framework puts the EU on a dangerous path that makes it easier to replace emissions reductions with CO₂ removals. Integrating CO₂ removal into EU emissions trading also carries risks. In this project, a robust framework for CO₂ removal was developed and discussed.

A Robust EU Framework for Carbon Dioxide Removals ( CDRs)

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Project
 
Despite Germany's Circular Economy and Waste Management Act "Kreislaufwirtschafts- und Abfallgesetz" of 1996, the country's economy remains essentially linear. To transition from this status quo and lead the way towards a genuinely circular and resource-efficient economy, the development of a National Circular Economy Strategy (Nationale Kreislaufwirtschaftsstrategie) (NKWS) is now in progress. The project provides scientific support to the development of this strategy, as much as to the related debate.

Scientific Support of the Development of a Strategy for a Circular Economy in Germany

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
project logo green label with two leaves as wings
In order to make informed decisions, consumers need information on the sustainability performance of BBPs that is evidence-based, trustworthy, transparent and clear. The Horizon Europe funded project "3-CO" responds to this need by designing a supportive framework for Labels and Certification Schemes (LCS) for industrial BBPs that are sustainable in terms of resources, processes and materials used.

Concise Consumer Communication through Robust Labels for Bio-based Systems (3-CO)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
Govaqua Logo
The overall goal of GOVAQUA is to identify, assess, develop and validate innovative water governance instruments and approaches to support and accelerate a transition towards sustainable and equitable water use in Europe. Such a transition is urgently required to reconcile water uses and environmental needs and to reach the aims of the EU WFD, the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. GOVAQUA is a 4-year Research and Innovation Action (funded by the EU) that brings together 12 partners from across Europe.

Governance Innovations for a Transition to Sustainable and Equitable Water Use in Europe (GOVAQUA)

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EU Policy Indicators Project
Sustainable development is a long-term political goal of the European Union (EU), which has become even more important since the adoption of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, has been monitoring progress in the field of sustainable development for years with the help of indicator sets. Since 2008, Ecologic Institute, together with the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, INFRAS and the Haymarket Media Group, has been producing monitoring reports on the subject. During the project, four monitoring reports on the implementation of the SDGs will be published as part of Eurostat’s Flagship publication series.

EU Policy Initiatives and Methodological Assistance on Indicators

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
Over one million barriers on Europe's rivers have resulted in extensive loss of river connectivity, and 70-90 % of Europe's floodplain areas are ecologically degraded due to human modifications. Despite having an ambitious EU policy framework in place, implementation of freshwater and transitional water ecosystem restoration is lagging behind. Reasons for this lie among others in the lack of knowledge, awareness and participation of local people and business actors. The overall goal of DANUBE4all (a 5-year Innovation Action funded by the EU) is the development of a comprehensive Restoration Action Plan for the Danube River basin developed in an unprecedented co-creation process with stakeholders, integrating citizens' interests to support the EU Mission "Restore our ocean and waters by 2030".

Restoration of the Danube River Basin Waters for Ecosystems and People from Mountains to Coast (DANUBE4all)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
Healthy wetlands are acknowledged for being among the most effective sinks for carbon and for providing other valuable ecosystem services. In contrast, human-impacted wetlands represent a major source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Important research questions on the GHG abatement potential of wetland restoration and on management and restoration actions to maintain and promote the mitigation and adaptation capacity of European wetlands are still to be answered due to major data and knowledge gaps. The RESTORE4Cs project (a 3-year Research and Innovation Action funded by the EU) aims to fill this gap by assessing the role of restoration action in wetlands climate change mitigation capacity and for the provision of a wide range of ecosystem services using an integrative socio-ecological systems approach.

Modelling Restoration of Wetlands for Carbon Pathways, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity, Co-benefits (RESTORE4Cs)

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In this research and dialogue project on behalf of the Climate Neutrality Foundation, Ecologic Institute analyzes the complex landscape of Germany's bilateral and plurilateral partnerships in the fields of energy, climate and raw materials, with a focus on partnerships with countries of the Global South.

Germany's Partnerships for Energy, Climate, Resources and Development

How to make their work more transformative towards climate neutrality

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MIP Project Soil Deal for Europe Mission Soil
The EU Mission "A Soil Deal for Europe", or Mission Soil, is an initiative launched by the European Commission to protect and restore soils in Europe. The Mission aims to put soils at the centre of attention, promote sustainable land management practices and improve soil health across all types of land uses and territories in Europe.

Mission Implementation Platform for the EU Mission 'Soil Deal for Europe'

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The project aims to communicate the benefits and challenges of emissions trading and provides information to interested partner countries. The upcoming project phase focuses on intensifying the dissemination of knowledge on emissions trading within the framework of various events. Workshops, informative panels and side events are organized by the consortium in Germany and abroad, for and with foreign governments, government-related institutions and interested stakeholders.

Capacity Building on Emissions Trading to Support Bilateral Cooperation 2023-2025

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This project supports the EU Commission by undertaking a series of assignments that are to be requested by the Commission during the next phases of the legislative process of the proposed NRL. In this context, the project handles requests from the European Commission, for example to discuss further details of measures to be considered in the negotiations on this legislation.

Analytical and Technical Support During the Negotiations Process for the Nature Restoration Law

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The Ecologic Institute, part of a pan-European consortium, is implementing the "Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters" support platform for the European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency (CINEA) and the European Commission, aiming to protect and restore aquatic ecosystems, prevent pollution, and promote a sustainable blue economy, which includes designing and managing the EU Blue Parks Community support services and contributing to the development of mission indicators.

Mission Ocean, Seas and Waters Implementation Support Platform

Mission Coordination and Monitoring

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In collaboration with the International PtX Hub, we analyzed the emerging EU and international regimes and develop recommendations on GHG accounting and PtX sustainability. In a series of bilateral online workshops, we provided guidance to policy makers and other stakeholders from Algeria, Chile, Colombia, India, Kenya, Jordan, Namibia, South Africa, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Analysis and Dialogue on GHG Accounting, Standards and Certification for Green Hydrogen and PtX

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Carbon pricing is gaining traction around the world, as more and more jurisdictions implement emissions trading systems or tax carbon emissions to achieve their climate objectives. The annual "State and Trends of Carbon Pricing" is the flagship report of the World Bank to provide a concise, up-to-date overview of what is happening in this field. With over 70,000 annual downloads, it is one of the most prominent publications on this matter. 2023 marks the 10th edition of the State and Trends report. A consortium of adelphi and Ecologic Institute supported the World Bank in developing the 2023 edition of the report.

State and Trends of Carbon Pricing Report 2023

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This project analyzed different policy options that could counteract such export-related leakage, but which are problematic in different ways in terms of their environmental, political, and legal implications. The analysis identifies targeted innovation support as a promising option because it minimizes legal and political risks while also offering climate benefits beyond leakage protection for European industry. Guiding principles for technology support measures were derived.

Policy Options to Address Export-related Carbon Leakage

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The project "Climate Adaptation Naturally Nature-based Solutions for Municipalities" aims to communicate the potential of nature-based solutions for climate adaptation in cities and municipalities in a targeted manner and to support cities and municipalities in the implementation of such solutions with the help of practice-oriented applications. The project primarily addresses climate adaptation managers in the municipalities, but also representatives from urban planning and development, green space offices and nature conservation authorities, education and culture, water and wastewater management.

Climate Adaptation Naturally!

Nature-based solutions for communities

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The program "Bridging Global Divides" provides students from the University of Colorado Denver with the opportunity to spend three months in Berlin, while studying relevant contemporary issues such as the ecological crisis, the politics of injustice, international politics, and dictatorships.

Berlin – Bridging Global Divides

Semester Abroad Program with the CU Denver

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On 30 November 2022, the Commission proposed an EU carbon removal certification framework (CRCF). The proposed framework could undermine the environmental integrity of EU climate policies. Within this project, Ecologic Institute and Oeko-Institut assess the Commission's proposal for the CRCF and discusses interlinkages of the CRCF with other pieces of EU climate law.

Assessment of the Certification Framework for Carbon Dioxide Removals in the EU

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The study "Macro-economic / top-down assessment of climate impacts on the EU economy" by Ramboll, SEURECO and Ecologic Institute aims to assist the Commission by providing a solid assessment of the costs of climate impacts in the EU, with a particular focus on the economic and social (distributional) costs which, according to the existing scientific evidence, could be potentially very significant.

Macro-economic / Top-down Assessment of Climate Impacts on the EU Economy

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Ready4NetZero aims to support small- and medium-sized cities in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Croatia in the development and implementation of local strategies to reach climate neutrality. To do so, the project creates knowledge resources (written guidance) and provides training and capacity building activities (webinars, workshops, a study visit, an international conference) to equip municipal staff with capacities, knowledge, and networks to develop and implement local long-term climate strategies.

Capacity Development for Long-term Climate Neutrality Strategies in Towns and Cities (Ready4NetZero)

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In addition to the protection of still intact peatlands, the restoration and sustainable management of previously drained peatland soils are important contributions for protecting biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change. In order to address these needs in a more targeted manner, the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) published the first National Peatland Protection Strategy in September 2021. Together with DUENE e.V., partner in Greifswald Moor Centrum, Ecologic Institute supports the implementation of the National Peatland Protection Strategy.

Implementation of the National Peatland Protection Strategy (MoorNet)

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Unsustainable use of the oceans and their resources leads to severe problems, like depletion of fish stocks, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation and increased pollution, among other negative impacts. With a scoping study, awarded by the European Environment Agency (EEA), Ecologic Institute, together with Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), analyses the potential of the blue bioeconomy to become more sustainable by transforming to more sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

Greening the Blue Bioeconomy and Transition to Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture

Scoping Study

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In the project "Mapping the adaptation frameworks regarding climate change adaptation indicators," Ramboll, Enerdata, and Ecologic Institute aim to support the EEA with its ongoing work on developing an adaptation indicators framework – linked to monitoring and reporting on adaptation, and that includes national and regional approaches. The specific objective is to produce an inventory of existing adaptation frameworks established at national (and sub-national) level which track and monitor adaptation actions, as well as to map indicators used in these frameworks for different sectors.

Mapping the Adaptation Frameworks Regarding Climate Change Adaptation Indicators

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The aim of the project is to discuss the current state of knowledge and future role of environmental provisions in free trade agreements. The focus is particularly on a literature review of the last ten years, as well as the (legal) analysis of a global selection of free trade agreements.

Environmental Provisions in Free Trade Agreements

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
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Climate Farm Demo is a unique pan-European network of Pilot Demo Farmers covering 28 countries and all pedo-climatic areas. Its overall aim it to accelerate the adoption of Climate Smart Farming (CSF) practices and solutions by farmers and all actors of the Climate Smart Agriculture Knowledge & Innovation Systems (AKIS) with a view of adapting agricultural production systems to climate change and of achieving a carbon-neutral agricultural sector by 2050, thereby meeting the targets of the EU Climate strategy. To reach this objective, the project adopts a Multi-Actor approach by connecting 1500 Pilot Demo Farmers and their Climate Farm Advisors (CFAs) at European and national levels to increase knowledge exchange and cross-fertilisation in their respective AKIS.

A European-wide Network of Pilot Farmers for a Carbon Neutral Europe (Climate Farm Demo)

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The project aims to facilitate a focused, well-founded and trustful exchange between leading German environmental organisations and think tanks on the climate agenda of the G7 and the G20. The aim is to invite persons to the expert dialogue who have distinguished themselves through years of political commitment in multilateralism and who are multipliers in their field. The expert dialogue will identify the most pressing climate policy issues for the G7 and the G20 and discuss recommendations for action.

G7 and G20 Climate Policy: Exchange with Key Stakeholders

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The European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO) aims to help ensure the EU achieves climate neutrality by providing scientifically rigorous analysis of economy-wide progress and an independent check on EU climate policy processes. ECNO analyses the data underlying a comprehensive set of progress indicators to present a unique, up-to-date picture of the whole economy, and identify any gaps in data collection, benchmarking, and monitoring that need to be addressed. Ecologic Institute has developed an indicator framework in a previous project that ECNO's methodology is based on.

European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO)

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To meet global climate objectives, it is essential to reduce emissions from deforestation. So-called "jurisdictional REDD+" aims to reduce deforestation by monitoring and rewarding deforestation at the regional scale. To help decision-makers and stakeholders better understand the potential advantages of jurisdictional approaches, Ecologic Institute is developing a paper-based game to illustrate the key concepts. The game will be supported by teaching materials and event organisation, in collaboration with the client Environmental Defense Fund.

Reducing Deforestation at the Regional Scale: the Jurisdictional REDD+ Game

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In this project, Ecologic Institute and IEEP outline gaps and provide recommendations for better integrating health concerns into EU policies. The project team assessed 20 EU policy documents on adaptation, biodiversity, water, waste, mobility, and cross-cutting issues and their integration of health in the broader context of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy.

Opportunities for Health Engagement on European Climate Policies

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This project will 1) identify good examples, new and innovative interventions to contribute to biodiversity and climate objectives of the CAP; 2) assess CAP Strategic Plan interventions that correspond to the biodiversity and climate ambitions in the four CAP Strategic Plans of Germany, France, Spain and Poland; 3) analyze whether these interventions correspond to the scientific evidence and whether they are relevant and sufficient; 4) consider co-benefits and trade-offs between different policy objectives.

Innovative Agricultural Interventions to Reach EU Biodiversity and Climate Objectives

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project logo with the project acronym Meerstark.
The aim of the project, in short: 'Resilience and Climate Adaptation for North and Baltic Sea', is to develop concrete, cross-sectoral proposals for measures to strengthen marine protection and climate change adaptation. These proposals are to build on the field of action "Seas and Coasts" in the German Adaptation Strategy (DAS) and the Adaptation Action Plan and support the German government's planned marine strategy. Furthermore, the project is fundamentally intended to promote cross-sectoral dialogue on marine protection and climate change adaptation at national, European and regional level.

Cross-sectoral Support for Sustainable Climate Adaptation and Resilient Ecosystems in the North- and Baltic Sea (MEER:STARK)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
Climateurope2 is a 4.5-year Horizon Europe project that addresses the need for timely delivery and effective use of climate information. The project aims to support the climate services community and propose standardisation procedures for future equitable and quality-assured climate services, useful for decision making in all sectors of society.

Supporting and Standardizing Climate Services in Europe and Beyond (Climateurope2)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
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The overall goal of SCALE-UP is to support regional multi-actor partnerships, consisting of private businesses, governments and policymakers, civil society organisations, and researchers in identifying and scaling-up innovative and sustainable bio-based value chains that build on regional resources. Through its approach, SCALE-UP will adapt, implement and evaluate tools to help regional actors to overcome the apparent bottlenecks towards fully exploiting bioeconomy potentials in their region.

Concepts, Tools and Applications for Community-driven Bioeconomy Development in European Rural Areas (SCALE-UP)

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Project:Horizon Europe
 
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Effective marine environmental management and biodiversity conservation (including protection and restoration) are fundamental to achieving the transformation to a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive low-carbon sustainable ocean economy. MarineSABRES' simple SES approach aims to show how we can protect and maintain the natural structure and processes of marine ecosystems while simultaneously delivering the societal goods and benefits that people rely on. The approach specifically aims to improve uptake of EBM and strengthen interventions and measures for the conservation of coastal and marine areas.

Marine Systems Approaches for Biodiversity Resilience and Ecosystem Sustainability (HEU Marine SABRES)

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This research project will examine various proposals for providing low-cost electricity from renewable energies for industry on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). The aim is to ensure the availability of green electricity for industry at stable, favorable prices so that companies can invest in climate-neutral production processes

Industrial Electricity Price

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In the context of the political goal of strengthening the reuse of used goods, the project aimed at supporting and executing re-use measures in Berlin in order to foster structures and actors in Berlin that bring the used goods market out of its niche. To do so, the project drew on the practical experience of initial pilot tests in 2018, networking activities since 2019 and the opening of the Re-Use Superstore in 2020.

Re-use Berlin Measures 2022-2023

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Roofs still offer enormous potential for solar electricity generation. In order to achieve the ambitious expansion targets of the German government, this potential must be raised. In a new project, Ecologic Institute and the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) analyze different system concepts and evaluate their economic viability. Existing barriers to the expansion of photovoltaic systems on buildings are identified and the extent to which the Renewable Energy Sources Act 2023 will remove these barriers is examined. As a result of the project, recommendations for further improvements of the regulatory framework will be elaborated.

Restrictions of the EEG Regulations for the Use of PV Electricity in the Building Sector

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Recycling and giving back
In view of a strong waste management sector with good separate waste collection rates and high recycling rates of over 80 %, Germany is generally well positioned to increase the use of recyclates. So far, however, this potential has only been partially exploited. Against this background, Ecologic Institute, together with the Policy Assessment Research Group of the Freie Universität Berlin, identifies and describes barriers to the use of recyclates and policy instruments to overcome these barriers. Options for action are shown on the basis of selected practical examples.

Policy Instruments to Increase the Use of Recycled Materials

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In light of recent experiences with supply shortages, Western democracies, and the EU in particular, are exploring new supply chains and strategies to reduce their dependence on third-country imports. Ecologic Institute provided an overview of possible options that the EU can currently use to counter growing dependence. Using a case study on rare earths from China, the focus was particularly on the possible contribution of the circular economy to security of raw material supply.

Raw Material Dependency of the EU from China

A Case Study on Rare Earths and how the Circular Economy Can Help Reducing the EU's Dependency

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The project investigates the potential for greenhouse gas savings through resource efficiency and circular economy measures. Ecologic Institute supports the formulation of resource conservation measures as input for the modelling of GHG saving potentials (WP1 led by GWS). Furthermore, Ecologic Institute is responsible for the scientific support of the European Resource Forum in 2022 and 2024 including the development of background papers.

Scientific Accompanying Research on Current Discourses on Resource Conservation

National, European and International Level

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Ecologic Institute is contributing to a study aiming to map the implementation choices of Member States in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans. It also aims to assess the joint effort of Member States towards agricultural, rural development and environmental policy goals. This study is part of the European Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP, which supports the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) and Member States in the evaluation and implementation of a performance-based monitoring and evaluation framework for the CAP from 2022.

Mapping Study of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Analysis of Joint Efforts

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As part of the implementation of its NDC, the Chinese government is focusing on further developing its climate legislation, which includes the design of a Chinese climate legislation framework. Through the climate legislation workstream of the project "Sino-German Cooperation on Climate Change – Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)", the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) supports the Chinese side by strengthening exchange between experts and stakeholders from the two countries and providing information on German and EU experience in this field.

Three Studies on German Climate Legislation and Climate Law

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The UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration offers the opportunity to link thematic areas that were previously treated rather separately, as well as to clarify their interdependencies and to create synergies. This includes, for example, linking the topic of ecosystem restoration with different topics in the areas of biodiversity and climate. To illustrate these linkages, Ecologic Institute is preparing a total of 10 policy papers for the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). These papers are intended to support key German actors in implementing the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration as part of the overarching GIZ project "Supporting the Design and Implementation of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration" (DEER).

Strategic Support for the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration

Preparation of 10 Policy Papers on ecosystem restoration

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Single-use plastics (SUPs) consumption is booming worldwide, with Asia being no exception. On the contrary: Asia is experiencing increasing levels of SUP consumption due to rapid economic growth, urbanization, and changing consumption and production patterns including the increase of E-commerce and rising sales of processed and packaged food. Last but not least, a "sachet economy" has been established with small portions of products (e.g., instant coffee, shampoo) being sold for convenience and to target especially the large population groups with lower purchasing power.

Asia's Opportunity to End Single-use Plastic Pollution

Global rules in a new global treaty

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With the European Green Deal, the EU wants to become climate neutral by 2050. To achieve this, we must decarbonize our energy systems and economies. An important building block is the EU Taxonomy Regulation, which aims to channel money flows into green projects, technologies, and processes. The policy does so by classifying what is environmentally sustainable and what is not, thereby providing transparency for investors. In this project, Ecologic Institute critically accompanies this design process, prepares keynotes and fosters exchange between stakeholders from politics, industry, academia, and civil society.

The EU Taxonomy as an Instrument to Reach Climate Neutrality

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NICHES project logo: Project name in capital letters. in the letters you can see a skyline, above it green and blue horizon
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are recognised as cost-effective tools to alleviate pressure during high rainfall events while producing wider societal and environmental benefits, but uptake is limited in practice due to lacking evidence. The NICHES project – Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies – aims to fill this gap by adopting a holistic social-ecological-technical systems (SETS) approach to explore the potential of urban NBS as an alternative to the costly renewal of grey wastewater systems. Five global cities – Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, Sheffield, and Rotterdam – will be utilized to co-create knowledge and develop a shared understanding of restorative NBS that can be applied to avoid storm-water run-off and negative impacts for aquatic biodiversity.

Nature's Integration in Cities' Hydrologies, Ecologies and Societies (NICHES)

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In this project, Ecologic Institute, Öko-Institut and Schnittstelle Boden develop legal options for revising the German Federal Soil Act and draft potential corresponding amendments. This is one of the objectives in the German Government's 2021 Coalition Agreement and the research is funded by the German Environment Agency.

Revising Federal Soil Protection Law

Legal options and drafting for amending the Federal Soil Protection Act

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The main element of this project was the implementation of the international expert workshop "Fostering applied research on the synergies between biodiversity and climate", which took place online between 8 and 9 June 2022. With around 30 leading scientists, 10 presentations of case studies and interactive break-out groups, this workshop enabled lively discussions and insights on opportunities for participatory research for the biodiversity-climate nexus.

Promoting Research and Application to Exploit Synergies between Biodiversity and Climate Protection

Preparation and implementation of a scoping workshop

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The transition to renewable energies and persistent bottlenecks in the German transmission grid represent key challenges for the German electricity supply system in terms of the need for security of supply. A so-called capacity mechanism could be an important solution to this. On behalf of the four German transmission system operators (TSOs) Amprion GmbH, TenneT TSO GmbH, 50Hertz Transmission GmbH and TransnetBW GmbH, the foundations of a capacity mechanism for the German electricity market that is compatible with the European legal framework for the energy market and European state aid law are therefore to be developed. In an interdisciplinary research team led by Consentec, the Ecologic Institute is responsible for examining energy law issues in the project.

Development of a Capacity Mechanism for the German Electricity Market

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Ecologic Institute and the University of Geisenheim will analyse the extent to which measures for strengthening biodiversity have been integrated in the application of urban development funding by German municipalities, and what good practice examples exist. Based on this research, municipalities will be informed about measures that are eligible for urban development funding which are effective in conserving or promoting biodiversity.

Using Urban Development Funding to Promote Biodiversity (BioVibeS)

Recommendations for municipalities to consider biodiversity in the context of urban development funding

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The consumption of dairy, eggs and meat causes damage to the environment in various places in the supply chain, such as climate change, eutrophication and the emission of harmful substances such as ammonia (which contributes to nitrogen problems) and particulate matter. The TAPP Coalition (True Animal Protein Price Coalition) requests a European-oriented policy proposals to pass on the price of dairy, eggs and meat so that it reflects the actual costs to society and to calculate these for economic and environmental effects for the EU-27 involving two case studies for Germany and France.

Pay as You Eat Meat

European strategy to internalize the external costs of meat

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The European Green Deal and the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change recognise the need for further action in the field of quantitative water management and include priority actions to stimulate and foster resilience and sustainability. Under a new contract for the European Commission, Ecologic Institute is contributing to a study on water quantity management in Europe and supports the work of the task group on Water Scarcity and Droughts of the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) of the WFD.

Water Quantity Management

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What are possible alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides without promoting the renaissance of genetic engineering? This brief study intends to provide an overview of the current state of science on possible alternatives to synthetic chemical pesticides and to be understandable for non-experts.

Alternatives to Synthetic Chemical Pesticides

A scientific basis

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The Covid-19 pandemic and, most recently, the war that has erupted in Ukraine have shown that such crises can have a major impact on European emissions trading. This raises the central question: Can and must the European emissions trading system become more crisis-proof? In the present project, concrete crisis scenarios are developed that could put a strain on the European emissions trading system (EU ETS). This is followed by an analysis of the possibilities that the existing laws and regulations offer for reacting to such crises. The further aim of the project is to show ways to improve the handling of crises within the trading system.

Crisis Resilience of the European Trading System

Legal report for the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency

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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.

Co-Creation for Biocultural Diversity in the Arctic (Dávgi)

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The overall objective of the AMAREX project is to develop methods to enable the adaptation of stormwater management concepts to extreme events including heavy rain, heat and drought at the municipal level. In doing so, the analysis will consider the different extreme weather events in an integrative way.

Adaptation of Stormwater Management to Extreme Weather Events (AMAREX)

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In KliMaWerk, integrated measures and strategies are developed to increase hydrological and ecological resilience for watercourses affected by climate change. Special consideration is given to low-flow and drying situations, alternating with heavy rainfall events. The ecological functions of the water bodies as well as competing water body uses are taken into account through the integrated consideration of an entire water body catchment area. What is new here is the holistic view of the landscape water balance, instead of a narrow focus on individual spatial elements or individual user groups.

Sustainable Management of the Landscape Water Balance to Increase Climate Resilience (KliMaWerk)

Management and tools

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The international conference on 19 and 20 October 2022, will address microplastics in soils and has two main objectives: 1. to present the current state of international research on the problem of microplastics in soils and 2. to identify the need for action on the part of policy-makers and compiling and discussing possible strategies for implementing recommendations for action at international level.

Microplastics in Soils – International Conference

A threat for human health and the environment?

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In this project, Ecologic Institute undertook an inventory of climate policies, emissions pathways and complementary measures in the G7 countries. This is intended to help identify gaps in the existing policy landscape of global decarbonisation efforts. Based on the findings, possible improvements were proposed. The project report is available for download.

G7 Climate Crossroads

State of Play

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Agri-food systems in Central Eastern Europe are key to achieving the EU climate goals. To deliver these goals, strategic planning and integrated policies are needed that will enable reduced emissions, increased carbon removals, and at the same time support biodiversity and adaptation. Ambitious climate targets for the agri-food sector are needed, as well as alignment of the national strategic plans under the Common Agricultural Policy with climate targets and the European Green Deal objectives.

Capacity Building for Ambitious Climate Action in the Agri-food Sector in Central Eastern Europe

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In the course of the "European Green Deal", the greenhouse gas emission allowances cap in the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) was tightened in order to achieve the set target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030. This leads to a higher risk of relocation of production sites to locations outside the EU ETS (so-called carbon leakage) by energy-intensive industries. The European Green Deal therefore considers a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This mechanism is intended both to counteract the relocation of production sites and to promote the decarbonisation of CO2-intensive industry. The EU Commission presented a regulatory proposal for the introduction of such a mechanism on 14 July 2021. Within the framework of the research project, the possibilities of a CO2 compensation mechanism (CBAM) that is permissible under international, trade and European law is investigated, evaluated and presented. The work was carried out jointly by a consortium consisting of Ecologic Institute, Oeko-Institut and Prof. Dr. Michael Mehling.

Legal Admissibility and Consequences of Regulating a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in the EU-ETS

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Germany took over the G7 Presidency from the United Kingdom at the start of 2022. Climate continues to stand on top of the G7's agenda as global emissions continue to grow. In this project Ecologic Institute, in partnership with WWF and E3G, brings together a select group of think-tanks and NGOs to discuss priorities for the German G7 presidency. Based on policy briefs by E3G and Ecologic Institute, experts in the German climate policy field discuss key issues around climate at the G7 to identify and concretise priorities and action items for the G7. Key topics include decarbonising industry, climate partnerships and their financing, climate clubs, and loss and damage.

Towards More Climate Action at the G7

Recommendations for the German Presidency

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In the forefront of the UN Food Systems Summit, Germany held the National Dialogue on "Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems" in June 2021 with more than 400 participants. This dialogue will be continued in 2022. Two of the five core topics of the dialogue dealt with a) a more plant-based diet in the future and b) the food economy of the future. The project "Summary and Outlook of the National Dialogue 2021 'Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems'" analyses the results achieved in these areas and develops conclusions for the further process on this basis.

German National Dialogue "Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems"

Summary and Outlook

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Over the past years, concerns and wide recognition about drought events and water scarcity have grown across the EU. The objectives of the assessment in this project are: to better understand national policies, strategies and plans on droughts in EU Member States, to gather detailed knowledge on existing drought management plans, including the use of exemptions under Art. 4(6) of the WFD, and to identify main challenges and lessons learnt in applying drought management, as well as the main issues to be addressed in order to improve the integration of drought management into river basin management planning. Ecologic Institute is part of the team that assesses national policies, strategies and plans on droughts in EU Member States based on document review and interviews with competent authorities and relevant stakeholders.

In-depth Assessment of Drought Management Plans

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This project supports DG RTD in developing a comprehensive Baseline for the lighthouses of the Atlantic/Arctic sea basin, Danube river basin and Mediterranean Sea basin of the Mission 'Restore our ocean and waters by 2030'. Specific activities include mapping lighthouse area relevant stakeholders, networks, governance structures and citizen engagement, as well as past, planned and ongoing projects relevant for the Mission objectives.

Implementation of Lighthouses of Mission 'Restore our oceans and waters by 2030'

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Ecologic Institute was commissioned by WISE Netherlands to take a more in-depth look at how Member States are spending their auctioning revenues, and if and how they are using them for climate action. Furthermore, we wanted to understand the political context and the narrative around auctioning revenues. For this purpose, we conducted eight country case studies, namely Czech, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal. We based our analysis on Member States' reporting to the European Commission regarding the use of auctioning revenues, desk research on legal documents and interviews with relevant experts from ministries and NGOs.

The Use of ETS Auctioning Revenues in EU Member States

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Project
 
The EU has specified climate neutrality as a legally binding 2050 target. This transformation requires bold policy tools that can deliver concrete results – sector-by-sector. To inspire policymakers across the EU to get active, Agora Energiewende is compiling best practice examples of policies that are successful in initiating progress towards climate neutrality. Ecologic Institute contributes to this project by researching and drafting fiches for ten best practice cases. Moreover, the team is supporting Agora Energiewende in selecting suitable cases. Ecologic Institute draws on its in-house expertise in a wide range of sectors.

Transitioning to Net Zero' Success Stories

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The European Consumer Food Waste Forum is a multi-disciplinary forum set up in October 2021 by the Joint Research Centre, which seeks to enable the EU's transition to a sustainable food system by finding solutions and developing tools that help to reduce food waste at the consumer level, including household and food services. Stephanie Wunder and 15 other practitioners and researchers will identify and develop multi-dimensional tools to curb consumer food waste, considering both the motivation of consumers as well as their ability and opportunity to change related behaviour. The tools will be multi-level addressing both the role of consumers and that of other key players engaged in food waste reduction. These will contribute to the work of the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste and that of other players to help reduce consumer food waste.

Expert Advise on the European Consumer Food Waste Forum

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Regional governments are key players in driving the transformation towards climate neutrality, as they are the ones who enable and implement solutions on the ground. For the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development, Ecologic Institute together with partners identifies EU regions that are successfully transforming their economies towards climate neutrality. Based on six case studies, the project distills key drivers, conditions and mechanisms for a successful transformation of regional economies – leading to concrete policy recommendations for the EU level on how to support in this effort.

EU Regions in the Transformation Towards a Climate-neutral Future

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The briefing provides a didactic overview on carbon farming. Specifically, it summarizes the current scientific understanding of the mitigation potentials, co-benefits and trade-offs of carbon farming, as well as the key agronomic practices and key knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to scale up carbon farming and to deliver robust climate mitigation and EU Green Deal objectives.

Carbon Farming

a scientific basis

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Project
 
Podcast cover
Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission) described the European Green Deal as "Europe's man-on-the-moon moment". With this plan, the European Union aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, protect and enhance nature, and sustainably transform the European economy and society. But what exactly is the European Green Deal? Which role does it play in our everyday life? And what challenges does it pose? In our podcast and webinar series "Green deal – Big Deal?" we take a critical look at these questions and discuss various aspects of the European Green Deal with experts from policy, business and science.

Green Deal – Big Deal? Discussing Europe's Green Future

Podcast & Webinar Series about the European Green Deal

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Project
 
Location of Hesse in Germany
In this project, Ecologic Institute reviewed and analyzed 17 inspiring examples of how companies and researchers put the circular economy into practice: from the recycling of construction materials and metals, the improvement of sorting and recycling plastics, to new business models that help turn waste into raw materials or keep materials longer in the loop through services.

Material Cycles in Hesse

Practical examples and potentials

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Many strong economies have developed strategies to foster the circular economy. But what do we know about how these plans impact developing and emerging countries? Do the strategies itself take the effects on developing and emerging countries into account? Which risks and opportunities arise from a shift to a circular economy in industrialised countries to developing and emerging countries? This project analysed some of these effects. The project's key recommendations and highlights are published in the project report.

Global Policy Initiatives for the Circular Economy and their Impact on Developing and Emerging Countries

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To strengthen climate protection in Germany, the amendment of the Climate Protection Act in 2021 further tightened the greenhouse gas emission targets for 2030 and set the goal of climate neutrality for the year 2045. An important step in the energy sector is the phase-out of lignite mining and coal-based electricity generation. The decision to phase out lignite mining in Germany by 2038 at the latest does not only affect energy and climate policy. In the coming years, the lignite mining areas will face a fundamental structural change, which is to be flanked with extensive funding and steered in the sense of sustainable spatial development.

Sustainable Development of Infrastructures in Regions of Structural Change (TransIS)

Socio-ecological transformation of German lignite mining regions

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Project:Horizon 2020
 
project logo with the project's titel
The formulation and implementation of climate adaptation plans in cities worldwide needs to speed up rapidly to keep in pace with projections of climate risks. The research project: "Resilience in Europe through Activating City Hubs reaching Out to Users with Triple-A climate adaptation Tools" (REACHOUT) aims to support the implementation of the European Green Deal by developing user-oriented climate services. It is funded through the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme. Research partners, climate service providers and city stakeholders are co-developing a coherent set of tools and services for seven City Hubs (Cork, Ireland; Athens, Greece; Lillestrøm, Norway; Milan, Italy; Logroño, Spain; Gdynia, Poland; and Amsterdam/APG, the Netherlands).

Resilience in Europe through Activating City Hubs Reaching out to Users with Triple-A Climate Adaptation Tools (REACHOUT)

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This project looks at the distributional effects of energy tax reform across Europe and develops recommendations for making the reforms socially and environmentally sound. Ecologic Institute contributes to this project with its expertise of German energy taxation and will translate the findings of the modelling exercise to the German context.

Towards a Fair and Green Energy Tax Reform in the EU

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Project
 
Climate lawsuits have become a frequently chosen tool in the fight for more ambitious climate policies in recent years. In the extensive reporting on this topic, one aspect has so far been neglected: the differences between the jurisprudence in the Global South and the Global North. To address the related issues, Verfassungsblog, Völkerrechtsblog and the journal World Comparative Law (WCL) in cooperation with the Ecologic Institute are organizing an online symposium on the subject of "Comparative Climate Litigation in North-South Perspective".

Comparative Climate Litigation in North-South Perspective

Online Symposium

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The project "Information and teaching materials for an environmentally conscious use of pharmaceuticals", led by Ecologic Institute, aimed to promote an environmentally responsible use of human pharmaceuticals and to anchor the topic of pharmaceuticals and the environment in pharmaceutical and medical teaching. The overriding goal is to reduce the entry of pharmaceuticals into the environment and their effects on animals and plants. To this end, freely available teaching materials are developed for university teaching, for professional trainings and for vocational schools. In addition, customer information materials on the proper use and disposal of medicines were created and disseminated. Finally, all information and materials were made available on an online information platform at www.uba.de/ham.

Information and Teaching Materials for an Environmentally Conscious Use of Pharmaceuticals

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Project:Horizon 2020
 
Europe's environment is in an alarming state, with climate change expected to further aggravate the situation. This substantially threatens economic prosperity, human wellbeing and social peace. Our society and economy need systemic transformative change, and ecosystem restoration integrated into nature-based solutions lies at its heart. MERLIN (Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of freshwater-related ecosystems in a Landscape context: Innovation, upscaling and transformation) is a 4-year Innovation Action project (funded by the EU) which aims to support transformative ecosystem restoration. The project will work in 17 flagship projects, from Finland to Israel, in order to generate a blueprint for to implement, upscale and replicate restoration and nature based solutions in freshwater ecosystems.

Mainstreaming Ecological Restoration of Freshwater Related Ecosystems in a Landscape Context (MERLIN)

Innovation, upscaling and transformation

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Ecologic Institute, together with the Oeko-Institut and Prof. Dr. Klinski of the HWR Berlin, supports the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in the preparation of negotiations at the EU level, the implementation of EU law, and the further development of the national legal framework. The support is provided by elaborating legal issues including economic and other effects as well as by ad hoc analyses.

Legal Support for the Implementation of the New EU Climate Target and the Further Development of Climate Protection Law

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The "Development Plan for the Sea – Strategy for an Integrated German Maritime Policy" was published back in 2011 and has so far set the framework for all sea-related policies in Germany. An integrated maritime policy encompasses all facets of sea-based activities across different sectors. Basically, they can be summarised in the three sustainability pillars 'ecology, economy, and social'. A comprehensive evaluation of Germany's integrated maritime policy has not yet taken place due to the lack of a compilation of appropriate indicators for assessment. The project 'Indicators of an Integrated German Maritime Policy' aims to close this gap.

Indicators of an Integrated German Marine Policy

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On behalf of the European Parliament, Ecologic Institute with support from IEEP investigate the potential of carbon farming to mitigate emissions in the EU and how to effectively increase carbon farming action. Ahead of two key EU Commission policy proposals in December 2021 (the 'Carbon Farming Initiative' and 'Carbon Removals Certification Mechanism'), the study summarises existing knowledge on carbon farming options, business models, and challenges. It also evaluates funding and policy opportunities to support its uptake.

Carbon Farming: Making agriculture fit for 2030

Study for the EU Parliament

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Against the backdrop of global supply chains, global environmental crises and climate change, the discussion on interrelations between trade and sustainability has increasingly come to the fore. Ecologic Institute supports the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in developing politically enforceable options to strengthen sustainability obligations in trade agreements.

Germany's Positioning on the Further Development of Trade Policy under Sustainablity Aspects

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Mexico took a significant step forward in January 2020 by initiating the pilot phase of its emissions trading system (ETS), making it the first country in Latin America to adopt such a system. The launch was a key milestone – eight years after the legal basis was established to develop the ETS. In this period the Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has been developing the rules for the system, with the objective of reducing emissions efficiently, without affecting the competitiveness of national industries in the international market. To support this endeavour, a consortium of international and local experts came together to provide technical advisory services and capacity building for the successful implementation of the pilot phase and the design of the operational phase for the Mexican ETS.

Technical Advisory and Capacity Building for the Mexican ETS: Pool of Experts

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By 2030, 80% of the electricity generated in Germany is to come from renewable sources. For this to succeed, electricity market regulations must be further developed. On behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Environment, Ecologic Institute analyzes various fundamental questions regarding the marketing and promotion of renewable energies. In an interdisciplinary research team led by consentec, Ecologic Institute is responsible for energy law-related issues. Among the central topics are reform approaches for the Renewable Energy Sources Act, the regional steering of the development of renewable energy sources, the marketing of green electricity and the regulation on self-consumption of solar energy.

Sustainable Marketing and Promotion of Renewable Energies in Germany

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Ecologic Institute is collaborating with the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Ramboll Consulting on a project for the European Environment Agency (EEA) entitled "The Cost of Adaptation versus the Cost of Inaction for Europe." This follows up a 2020-project, "Overview of Accessibility of the Climate Change Adaptation Finance Data in Europe," also for the EEA.

The Cost of Adaptation Versus the Cost of Inaction for Europe

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In this project, Ecologic Institute in cooperation with Oeko-Institut and Giessen University, analyses measures for climate-friendly soil use and the challenges and opportunities of transfer-based instruments as well as other funding mechanisms to promote these measures. In addition, current legal and political framework conditions for nature-based solutions and climate-friendly soil use will be examined.

Nature-based Solutions for Climate Protection

Financing climate-friendly soil management

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Project:Horizon 2020
 
To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, EU policy will have to be reoriented – from incremental towards structural change. As expressed in the European Green Deal, the challenge is to initiate the necessary transformation to climate neutrality in the coming years, while enhancing competitiveness, productivity, employment. To mobilise the creative, financial and political resources, the EU also needs a governance framework that facilitates cross-sectoral policy integration and that allows citizens, public and private stakeholders to participate in the process and to own the results.

Transformative Policies for a Climate-neutral European Union (4i-TRACTION)

Innovation, Investment, Infrastructure, and sectoral Integration

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Reaching climate neutrality by 2050 in the EU requires strong policy making and monitoring to ensure all areas of the European economy get and remain on track. Over two years (2021-2022) Ecologic Institute completed several related research projects and policy assessments on the functioning and fitness of EU climate policy for a net-zero future. These included a first-of-its-kind assessment of the substance of national long-term strategies (LTS), a scoping paper for an EU Carbon Dioxide Removal strategy, the creation of a Climate Framework Laws Info-Matrix as a new resource to document the substance and status of these legislative instruments across Europe, and a net-zero scorecard as proof of concept for a net-zero monitoring framework developed under a previous project.

Assessments Supporting EU Progress towards Climate Neutrality

Pieces of analysis on the functioning and fitness of EU climate policy for a net-zero future.

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Regions play a central role in achieving the substantial acceleration of renewable energy deployment required to reach the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets. This project examined the socio-economic effects of renewable energy deployment at the regional level in the EU and subsequently identified factors that are conducive to an equitable energy transition. Ecologic Institute conducted a case study on the role of renewable energy and its socio-economic imparts in the North German region Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Exploring the Socio-economic Impact of Energy Transition in EU Regions

Case study Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

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In Germany, environmental policy began to form as an independent policy field in the late 1960s. A major milestone in the history of German environmental policy was the adoption of the Federal Government's first environmental programme in 1971. Ecologic Institute supports the BMU (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) in the review of this historical event.

50 Years of Environmental Programme

Historical analysis of German Environmental Policy since 1971

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Re-Use
In its last coalition agreement (2016-2021), the State of Berlin committed itself to the "Zero Waste" model in order to transform its waste management towards a circular economy. Re-using goods takes centre stage in this transformation. In the context of the political goal of strengthening the reuse of used goods, the project aims at supporting and executing re-use measures in Berlin in order to foster structures and actors in Berlin that bring the used goods market out of its niche. The Ecologic Institute supports the project for the Berlin Senate Administration by designing and conducting three virtual expert dialogues in Berlin.

Supporting and Executing Re-use Measures in Berlin 2021 - 2022

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The transition towards sustainability entails addressing systemic and interrelated resource challenges. Via the project "Assessment of resource nexus-related challenges and opportunities in the context of the European Green Deal", Ecologic Institute supports the European Environment Agency (EEA) in its objective to foster a better understanding on these topics for the European policy community and stakeholders. The project serves as background to an EEA briefing on the topic.

Assessment of Resource Nexus-related Challenges and Opportunities of the European Green Deal

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The PRINCESS project is carried out by leading research institutions throughout Europe. It categorizes and evaluates the effects of alternative land use options after peatland rewetting on key EU environmental policies: (1) as a measure to halt biodiversity loss, (2) as a nature-based solution for mitigating and adapting to climate change, and (3) as a management tool to reduce nitrate release and, thus, eutrophication. PRINCESS investigates the interaction of the two main important global change drivers and attempts to take advantage of the coupling between the carbon and nitrogen cycles to maximize benefits from rewetting peatlands.

Peatland Rewetting In Nitrogen-Contaminated Environments (PRINCESS)

Synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity, climate, water quality and Society

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Ecomodulation of fees can play a crucial role in incentivizing upstream design changes by reducing the fees for products or packaging designed for circular economy. Products or packaging with circular design (e.g., a minimum percentage of recycled content, high reparability index, reduction in weight of material, shift from low to easily recyclable material(s)) could benefit from reduced fees, while those with design barriers, which are also often exported to developing countries for end-of-life treatment, could incur higher fees. Thus, ecomodulation of fees can play a vital role in prioritizing design as waste prevention, reusability, reparability and recyclability. Against this background, this project run by Ecologic Institute focused on the product streams batteries, plastic/packaging, textiles and waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Extended Producer Responsibility and Ecomodulation of Fees

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EU Commission Farm to Fork
From March to July 2021, a multidisciplinary group of food experts came together with the purpose to develop concepts that can be part of a future-proof legislative proposal on sustainable food systems.

Legislative Framework for Sustainable Food Systems

EU expert group working on building blocks for a sustainable EU food system

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In current environmental policy debates on resource conservation, the Netherlands are often cited as a good-practice example because of these absolute reduction targets. In this project, Susanne Langsdorf and Laurens Duin explored the Dutch targets and the vision for a circular economy. They shed light on the development, structure and implementation of the Dutch Circular Economy Program and related policy processes, including the established monitoring program.

Absolute Reduction of Resource Use

The Netherlands – a role model for Germany?

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Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues. Calls for a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution have increased over the last years, discussions will continue at the next sessions of the UN Environment Assembly in February 2022. After the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics concluded its work in November 2020, various countries have started to prepare positions and forge alliances in preparation of these pending discussions.

A Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution – Perspectives from Asia

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In 2019, the EU and the countries of the South American trade bloc Mercosur concluded negotiations on a trade agreement. The negotiated text of the agreement includes a chapter on trade and sustainability. The rules on forest protection are weak, however, and the agreement does not provide for sanctions for violations of sustainability-related commitments, either. Against this backdrop, Ralph Bodle and Christiane Gerstetter, both Senior Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, analyse legal options for strengthening forest protection in the agreement. The legal analysis was compiled on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU).

Options for Stronger Forest Protection in the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement

Legal analysis

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Project logo on blue background with corrected series title
The Arctic Winter College was a series of weekly webinars for 60 emerging leaders and experts, bringing diverse insights, 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.

Arctic Winter College 2021

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Photovoltaic technology is a key lever for decarbonising Berlin's power consumption and for social participation in the transformation process, especially for tenants. Therefore, solar energy and projects on rental apartment blocks are key elements of the Berlin Senate's Energy and Climate Protection Programme. In the research project "ElectricityNeighbours", Ecologic Institute and IÖW evaluate the experience gained so far in implementing such prosumer projects in Berlin, outline innovation potentials for the field and develop ideas on how the regulatory framework can be further developed. In doing so, the team looks beyond pure tenant electricity projects to the potentials of sector coupling.

ElectricityNeighbours – Can tenants in Berlin's apartment buildings become prosumers through solar power projects and sector coupling?

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The project "Capacity Building Emissions Trading to Support Bilateral Cooperation" aims to disseminate knowledge on emissions trading internationally and to support partner countries in setting up national emissions trading systems. The consortium supports the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety's bilateral activities in the field of capacity development and training on emissions trading. Former and current cooperation partners include Brazil, China, Chile, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

Capacity Building on Emissions Trading to Support Bilateral Cooperation 2021-2022

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Ecologic Institute has been contracted to support the European Commission in preparing a draft version of the Guidance on the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy river restoration targets, thereby bringing together existing knowledge and technical input from different contributors into a coherent document.

Guidance on the 2030 Biodiversity Strategy River Restoration Targets

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The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2023-2027 presents new opportunities to support the transition to sustainable agricultural production in Europe. In this project, Ecologic Institute together with a consortium led by Ecorys, supported the European Commission Directorate General for the Environment in their assessment of the new CAP Strategic Plans prepared by Member States.

Assessment of Draft CAP Strategic Plans with Respect to Environmental Requirements

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Ramboll and Ecologic Institute joined forces to develop and implement a 2-year outreach and engagement campaign, intended to draw new visitors and users to the Climate-ADAPT platform in five selected Eastern and Central European countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia). The objective of the outreach and user engagement activities was to make new users aware of the huge potential of the Climate-ADAPT and encourage them to share relevant data and information, turning more users from passive consumers of information into proactive providers of information and contributors to the platform.

Promoting Climate-ADAPT for Better Knowledge Sharing on Climate Adaptation

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In this project, three sufficiency projects are to be implemented, which the contractors had developed together with UBA employees in the previous project.

More Quality of Life, Less Environmental Usage

Development of user-oriented sufficiency policy project drafts in the Environment Department (sub-project 2)

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Ecologic Institute, together with partners, will develop recommendations on how environmental offences can be better prevented in Germany through deterrent sanctions. The project first investigates at a theoretical level under which conditions a certain sanction, such as a prison sentence, has a deterrent effect against environmental law violations. These theoretical considerations are substantiated by means of case studies on illegal waste disposal and disposal of waste by ships on the sea. On this basis, the research team will develop recommendations for policies as well as practical measures to improve enforcement.

Criminal and other Sanctions in Environmental Law

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Thuringia is one of the first German states to draft its own resource conservation strategy. This requires a solid data basis on the resource flows of the state. In the ThüRess project, Ecologic Institute and the Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS) are developing this database as well as measures for such a resource conservation strategy.

Resource Flows in Thuringia, Germany (ThueRess)

supporting regional Ministry of Environment in resource and circular economy policy

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This project supports the EU Commission's DG CLIMA to develop and evaluate different options for certifying carbon removal solutions. Carbon removals, also known as negative emissions, include nature-based technologies such as afforestation and soil carbon, and technology-based approaches, including carbon capture and storage from direct air or bioenergy. To reach the EU's 2050 goal of climate neutrality, alongside mitigation of GHG emissions, the EU must remove substantial amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. This project assesses existing knowledge and identifies policy options to increase carbon removals across Europe.

Support on Devising a Carbon Removal Certification Mechanism

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The aim of this project is to develop and test a methodology to assess the management effectiveness of marine Natura 2000 sites and other EU MPAs, in the context of obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives and commitments under the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. This methodology will build on experiences and methods used in the Natura 2000 network and other MPAs, as well as on any other available efforts in developing new systems that can be applied to the European context.

Management Effectiveness of Marine Natura 2000 Sites and other EU Marine Protected Areas

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To fulfill its commitments under the Paris Agreement, the European Union plans to increase the ambition of its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. As a basis for this debate, in December 2020, the EU Commission published the communication "Stepping up Europe's 2030 climate ambition" and a related Impact Assessment (IA) on raising the 2030 target in September 2019. In the communication, the Commission proposed to increase the EU target to -55% compared to 1990 and presents different policy approaches to reach this target.

A "Fit for 55" Package Based on Environmental Integrity and Solidarity

A policy toolkit to make carbon pricing work for all Europeans

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Project
 
Estuaries are under considerable human pressure from river basin inputs and direct sources of pollution from ports and industrial sites. In addition, there are countless human activities, including cargo shipping, tourism, trade and fishing. Climate change also results in longer periods of heat and oxygen deficiency, which have a negative impact on the ecosystem. In this diverse range of pressures, clear, science-led and sustainable management is a challenge.

Blue Estuaries – Developing Estuaries as Habitable Sustainable Ecosystem Despite Climate Change and Stress (BluEs)

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The aim of this project is to assess – for a selection of EU Member States – the impacts of policies and measures (PaMs) as described in their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). To this end, the project team identifies specific policy instruments and related ex-ante and ex-post evaluations, to collect and compare impact estimates and analyze the implications for achieving the energy and climate goals. The assessment also provides insights into the methodological uncertainties of evaluations in different policy areas. The considered policy areas are energy efficiency, renewable energy, cross-cutting instruments and agriculture and the NECPs from the following Member States are included; Germany, Denmark, France, Slovenia and Sweden.

Assessing Policy Evaluations in the Context of the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs)

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Project:Horizon 2020
 
Agroecology is widely recognized for its contribution to improving the environmental, climate and social impacts of agriculture. Building on the understanding of ecological interactions in agricultural systems, agroecology supports farmers' ability to deliver ecosystem services, improving sustainability and resilience of agriculture in the face of climate crisis. Sufficient capacity for place-based research and knowledge co-creation, however, are needed to accelerate the transition towards agroecology in Europe. The Horizon 2020 project "European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network" (ALL-Ready) addresses this need by preparing the ground for a European Network of Living labs and Research Infrastructure.

The European Agroecology Living Lab and Research Infrastructure Network (ALL-Ready)

Preparation phase

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Project:Horizon 2020
 
Land and soils are essential for life on Earth. Yet one third of the global land is considered as degraded and this process is continuing due to higher food production, urbanization and industrial activity. In a new Horizon 2020 project, Ecologic Institute develops a roadmap for research and innovation on soil systems and land management – jointly with stakeholders. The Soil Mission Support project will thus improve coordination in this field and support the EU Mission on Soil Health and Food, the European Green Deal, and contribute to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Soil Mission Support: Towards a European research and innovation roadmap on soils and land management

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This project assesses a selection of climate-change adaptation measures for the agriculture sector and gathers quantitative evidence on their potential to compensate for climate-change induced productivity losses. The results feed into the parent project "Climate change and bioeconomy – Sustainability gap analysis for the agricultural sector".

Climate Change and Bioeconomy – Adaptation potential

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Ecologic Institute, in collaboration with the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and Ramboll Consulting, implemented the project "Accessibility of the Climate Change Adaptation Finance Data in Europe" for the European Environment Agency (EEA). The objective of this project was to create a succinct package of information consisting of (1) a literature review, and (2) responses from a questionnaire collecting national adaptation finance information.

Accessibility of the Climate Change Adaptation Finance Data in Europe

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Together with FutureCamp, Ecologic Institute examines in detail the design options of climate protection contracts. The focus is on the practical implementation of the instrument, such as the design in compliance with EU state aid law as well as overlap and demarcation with other (funding) instruments.

Carbon Contracts for Difference for Industrial Transformation

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The project focuses its respective activities on two regions: Eastern Wielkopolska in Poland and Lausitz in Germany. It provides local communities with a forum for inclusive debate. The forum invites citizens to address the region's specific problems, seek solutions, and formulate concrete project ideas. The project also offers access to policy updates, best practices, useful information, and opportunities for networking and exchange of ideas between Eastern Wielkopolska and Lausitz.

Bottom-up, Sustainable, Renewable (BSR) Lab for Just Transition in Polish and German Coal Regions

European Climate Initiative EUKI 2020

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STErn Ptoject Logo
Between October 2020 and September 2023, policy recommendations for the transformation towards a sustainable food system were developed within the project "Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Food System" (STErn). The recommendations include short-, medium- and long-term courses of political action in the areas of regionalization, the dietary shift towards plant-based diets, and the future of organic agriculture and food. Moreover, the role of the financial sector in transforming the food system is discussed.

Sustainable Management: Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Food System

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This project supports EU Member States in fulfilling a part of their legal requirements under the National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive (2016/2284/EU), by providing them with targeted capacity building as well as updating and developing the toolbox of ecosystem reporting tools. The latter includes proposing core parameters and harmonized protocols; drafting guidance on site selection; and updating the reporting template and corresponding technical guidance.

Support to Member States Regarding the Monitoring of Effects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems According to Art. 9(1) of the NEC Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2284)

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The EU has agreed to become climate neutral by 2050. Achieving climate neutrality in the next 30 years is a great societal, economic and political undertaking, presenting many challenges and opportunities. The Climate Recon 2050 project addresses the central process of the development and implementation of national long-term climate strategies in EU Member States. The project combines analysis with dialogue to inform political debate.

Dialogue on Pathways and Policies for a Climate-neutral EU (Climate Recon 2050)

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The EU-funded project "Species protection rules under the Birds and Habitats Directives: how effectively are they integrated into sectoral policies" supported the European Commission (DG Environment) in identifying existing gaps and uptake of the species protection system provided by the EU Nature Directives in the Member States, specifically in the agricultural and forestry sectors. The project was led by Milieu and is supported by Ecologic Institute, IEEP and Stritih.

Species Protection Rules under the Birds and Habitats Directives

How effectively are they integrated into sectoral policies?

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Ecologic Institute concluded the project "The Future of the EU – Make Climate Action its Trademark". The project established a network of think tanks from eight EU Member States – Germany, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, and Poland. The project monitored the domestic debates on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CFE) and its link to climate policies. The project also facilitated dialogues on the CFE between Member States, and contributed regularly to national debates on the CFE.

The Future of the EU – Make Climate Action its Trademark

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The project provides an overview of the current water availability in Germany, as well as its future development under climate change conditions. It predicts emerging conflicts of use and develops possible solution strategies. For example, a concept for regional water advisory councils will be developed. These are intended to avoid water conflicts by enabling representatives of water-relevant sectors to exchange information. In addition, options for reusing water for irrigation in urban areas are being examined.

Drought and Water Use Conflicts in Germany (WADKlim)

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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.

Sustainable Urban Development in the European Arctic (SUDEA)

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