Publications

Publication:Article
 
Cover of a publication from 'Cambridge Prisms' titled 'Plastics.' The cover features a gradient background transitioning from deep red to blue, with white lines cutting across the lower half. The title 'Plastics' is displayed in simple white text.
To enable a genuine shift toward a circular plastic economy, the UN plastics treaty must confront two critical structural barriers: fossil fuel and plastic production subsidies, and the failure to internalize the true societal and environmental costs of plastic. Without addressing these root causes, efforts to end plastic pollution risk falling short, the authors of this article argue. Among them Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch.

A Circular Plastic Economy Should Account for all Societal Costs

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Publication:Report
 
Cover page of the report “International Oil Extraction Levy – Design recommendations and impact analysis,” published by Ecologic Institute and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Authors: Prof. Dr. Luan Santos, Dr. Michael Jakob, Jonathan Gardiner, Flora Dicke, and Benjamin Görlach. Publication date: 27 June 2025.
This report explores the design and implications of an international oil extraction levy as a mechanism to mobilize new sources of climate finance. The assessed levy places a price on the embedded CO₂ in extracted crude oil, increasing production costs and likely raising oil prices for final consumers. By internalising part of the climate costs of fossil fuels, the mechanism aligns with the polluter pays principle.

International Oil Extraction Levy

Design recommendations and impact analysis

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
This sectoral brief explores how transitioning to a Nature-Positive Economy requires transforming marine industries from drivers of biodiversity loss to forces for ocean restoration. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Blue Economy

Sectoral Brief

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Publication:Report
 
This report published under the EU-funded GoNaturePositive! project offers a comprehensive baseline assessment to support the transition toward a nature-positive economy. The report provides an in-depth analysis of EU policy instruments and co-operative initiatives, identifying their alignment with nature positive principles and opportunities to reduce environmental harm, restore ecosystems, and foster systemic change.

Mapping Policy and Co-operate Initiative Landscapes for Systemic Change Towards a Nature-positive Economy

GoNaturePositive! Report

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
This brief explores how transitioning to a Nature-Positive Economy requires transforming tourism from a driver of environmental degradation into a force for ecosystem restoration. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Tourism

Sectoral Brief

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Publication:Report
 
Cover page of BfN publication 733 “Urban Nature Plans as a Strategy for German Municipalities”. Recommendations on Urban Nature Plans from the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. Authors: Rieke Hansen, Lena Enderich, McKenna Davis, with contributions by Sandra Naumann. The image shows a paved path through a light birch forest.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 calls on all European cities with more than 20,000 in-habitants to develop and rapidly implement an "Urban Greening Plan". These plans should contain ambitious targets and measures to conserve biodiversity, promote human well-being, and contribute to climate adaptation and mitigation. The European Commission now refers to these plans as "Urban Nature Plans". The project documented in this report aimed to stimulate a discourse on Urban Nature Plans in Germany and to develop recommendations for local authorities.

Stadtnatur-Pläne als Strategie für deutsche Kommunen

Empfehlungen zu "Urban Nature Plans" aus der EU-Biodiversitätsstrategie 2030

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
In this policy brief, Ida Meyenberg and Evgeniya Elkina analyze which governance approaches enable the successful implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) for managing combined sewer overflows (CSO) in cities. The central question is what institutional, procedural, and financial enabling conditions municipalities and water authorities need, to integrate NBS effectively into urban stormwater management strategies. The Ecologic Institute was project lead in the NICHES project and chiefly responsible for the governance and best-practice analysis in five European and North American cities, deriving from it practice-oriented recommendations.

What Makes Nbs Work? Governance Approaches to Tackle Combined Sewer Overflows in Urban Water Systems

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
This sectoral brief examines how EU policy and practice can steer forestry toward a nature-positive economy. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Forestry

Sectoral Brief

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
Social innovation is rapidly gaining traction across Europe not just as a solution to pressing social and environmental problems, but as a transformative force reshaping how we live, produce, and consume. From repair cafés and local food networks to inclusive digital platforms, social innovation fosters trust, collaboration, and resilient communities, especially within local bioeconomies.

Enabling Change from the Ground up

Policy recommendations to foster social innovation in Europe

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Publication:Report
 
Cover of the publication “Considering Biodiversity in Urban Development Funding” by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN Series 732, 2025). The image shows a forest path with an artistic wooden installation featuring golden speaker-like elements. Authors: Lena Enderich, Rieke Hansen, Rebecca Noebel and Benjamin Kupilas.
This publication examines how municipalities can strategically use urban development funding to conserve and promote biodiversity in cities. As a project partner of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in the "BioViBeS – Incorporating Biodiversity into Urban Development Funding" research project, the Ecologic Institute played a key role in analyzing best-practice examples and deriving practical action fields and recommendations.

Biologische Vielfalt berücksichtigen in der Städtebauförderung

Empfehlungen zur Integration der biologischen Vielfalt in Fördergebieten der Städtebauförderung

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Publication:Policy Brief
 
This brief examines how policymakers, industry and practitioners can steer the built environment toward a nature-positive future by integrating ecological resilience and quality of life with economic development. It was developed under the EU research project GoNaturePositive!

Built Environment

Sectoral Brief

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Publication:Book
 
Cover of the 2025 edition of Eurostat’s “Overview of progress towards the SDGs in an EU context.” The design mirrors the full report cover, featuring a white tree with multicolored leaves, this time on a grey-blue background. The Eurostat and SDG logos appear below the tree.
The 2025 overview brochure accompanies Eurostat's ninth regular report monitoring progress towards the SDGs in an EU context. Ecologic Institute's authors covered the chapters on SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The brochure is available for download.

Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2025 Overview

Overview of Progress Towards the SDGs in an EU Context

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Publication:Book
 
Cover of the report titled 'Sustainable development in the European Union: Monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context, 2025 edition' by Eurostat. The design features shades of blue with a colorful tree graphic in the lower half.
Eurostat's "Sustainable Development in the European Union: Monitoring Report on Progress towards the SDGs in an EU Context" (2025 edition) offers the ninth comprehensive assessment of the EU's journey toward the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Researchers from Ecologic Institute authored the chapters on Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life Below Water (SDG 14), Life on Land (SDG 15) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17), providing rigorous, policy-relevant evidence.

Sustainable Development in the European Union – 2025

Monitoring Report on Progress Towards the SDGs in an EU Context

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Publication:Report
 
Cover page of the report titled "Contributions of water saving to a climate resilient Europe" (ETC-BE Report 2025/1). The central image shows a dry, cracked riverbed with a smartphone in the foreground displaying a digitally altered vision of a green, water-rich landscape in the same location. A modern city skyline appears in the background. Authors and affiliations are listed below the image. The report is published by the European Environment Agency and the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosys
This ETC-BE Report examines how targeted water-saving interventions can bolster the resilience of both ecosystems and key economic sectors in the face of climate change. The central question is: Which technical, economic and governance levers can unlock the water-savings potential in agriculture, electricity production, manufacturing and public water supply, and how can these be operationalized? Gerardo Anzaldúa and Levin Scholl (Ecologic Institute) explored how the industrial sector in Europe is dealing with this question, and provided critical insights on potentials and enablers.

Contributions of Water Saving to a Climate Resilient Europe

ETC-BE Report 2025/1

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