To avert the climate crisis, global greenhouse gas emissions must reach "net zero" within a few decades. The Ecological Institute combines political, economic and legal analysis to propose effective policy solutions to this challenge at all levels.
At the international level, our legal experts monitor and contribute to the negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At EU, national, regional and local level, our research projects generate recommendations for specific policy instruments as well as appropriate governance and institutions to implement the Paris Agreement.
The climate team covers most aspects of climate policy, especially at the European level. Our team has an exceptionally strong track record in a number of specific policy areas, such as carbon pricing (with a focus on the EU Emissions Trading System), climate law, long-term planning and evaluating policy effectiveness. Our team also includes experts from the fields of energy, transport, agriculture and circular economy.
We engage with and work for a wide range of academic organizations and stakeholders from government, business and civil society, co-creating solutions to address the climate crisis. Communicating results and insights in a targeted manner is one of the team's priorities. We strive for innovation in fostering ongoing dialogue between key public and private actors – online and in person – to support effective and progressive climate action. The climate team is also engaged in teaching in cooperation with several universities. In addition, we design our own training courses, increasing the capacity and understanding of climate change and possible solutions for an audience that includes journalists and UNFCCC negotiators. We also regularly present ourselves to groups of visitors from all over the world, where we explain how we understand the political processes of the EU and Germany. In addition, we have been continuously teaching emissions trading courses for over ten years.More on ecologic.eu)