www.ecologic.eu Environmental Think Tanks in the EU and the USA – How influential? How independent? R. Andreas Kraemer Director, Ecologic Institute, Berlin – Brussels – Vienna, EU Chairman, Ecologic Institute, Washington DC, USA University Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 25-26 August 2010
www.ecologic.eu http://www.ecologic.eu/ 1995 - 2010 Private, independent, non-partisan, mission-based, non-profit Independent, constructive and competent Voice for: Environment in international & EU affairs International & EU dimension in environment policy Integration of environment into other policies 'Think tank’, 6 founders, Euro 120K core capital, 1.2 m net assets ('09) Governed by company law (business), ‘operative foundation’ 100 Experts & support staff in Berlin, Brussels, Vienna; Washington DC Policy-relevant science, and science-based policy analysis & advisory Project-driven, solution-oriented, inclusive and thus 'trans-disciplinary' 2
www.ecologic.eu Ecologic Institute Family Structure
www.ecologic.eu http://www.ecologic.eu/ 1995 - 2010 1995 Ecologic Institute Berlin, Germany 2000 Ecologic Legal (14 staff lawyers, 2010) 2001 Ecologic Institute Brussels, EU Office 2001 Transatlantic Program 2002 Ecologic Events 2005 Konrad von Moltke Fund (DE chapter 75K Euro, 2009) 2006 Relaw, Clearing House for renewable energy 2007 Ecologic Institute Vienna, Austria 2008 Ecologic Institute Washington, DC 2009 Konrad von Moltke Fund (US chapter 4K US$, 2009) 2010 ... 4
www.ecologic.eu http://www.ecologic-institute.us/ est. Earth Day 2008 Legally and financially independent Public Charity (laws of the D.C.) Qualified under US IRC Sections 170(b)(10)(A)(vi), 501(c)(3), [509(a)(1)] Programs : Policy-relevant work but no lobbying, in six core areas: Explaining the European Union (and changing the Washington debate) Climate and Energy (e.g. carbon trading & international negotiations) Infrastructure Finance & Economics of Transition (e.g. crisis & stimulus) Transatlantic Dialogues & Exchanges (e.g. farmers, journalists, business) US & EU as Partners in the World (e.g. Arctic, UN, security) Biodiversity and Conservation (e.g. access & benefit sharing) Dedicated Team of 5+1 (end 2009) at Dupont Circle in DC Focused on Washington DC, with coast-to-coast outreach Michael Mehling Director, Ecologic Washington 5
www.ecologic.eu What is the "Environment" ? Water, oceans, soil, air, fauna & flora (biodiversity), chemicals, noise, ... Renewable resources (water, timber, fish, cattle, bush-meat, ...) in the wild or in management systems (husbandry, agro-forestry, etc.) Non-renewable resources (minerals, coal, oil & gas, ...) Ecosystem Services (functions), e.g. nutrient cycles, heat transfers, ... Requiring integrity and resilience of ecosystems Resources, but also threats: Floods, droughts, fires, pests, predators, ... Relevant for human health, public health, "livelihood security", ... Space for human life, relevant for identity, mental stability, spirituality, ... Today also "Climate", a currently dominant, global theme Need to integrate environmental concerns into other policy fields ! Many Think Tanks work on specific aspects or in limited geographies; There are only a few "full service environment Think Tanks" 6
www.ecologic.eu What is Special about Environment Policy ? Environmental protection and the rational management of resources are in the public interest (even if on occasion small groups benefit) This forces environmental Think Tanks into (public interest) advocacy Environmental concerns are " urgent "; civilization is under threat, but: Environmental concerns are largely " low politics " (except for climate) This forces environmental Think Tanks to rely on attention-creating events, including environmental catastrophes, and to create regular "events" Environmental concerns play out in the long run , are "future-relevant" This forces environmental Think Tanks to work with scenarios ("speculation") Environmental concerns are global , international, or "trans-boundary" This forces environmental Think Tanks to think globally and form networks (as there are few truly global environmental Think Tanks: IUCN, IISD, WRI) 7
www.ecologic.eu Environmental Science and Policy – The Interface Environmental science, technology, economics, regulation are dynamic This creates uncertainties and the need to act on " precautionary principle "; environmental Think Tanks are drawn into controversies This also creates the need for " adaptive (cyclical) policy management "; environmental Think Tanks are drawn into policy implementation The urgency of the environmental challenge comes from natural sciences Natural sciences say that individual and collective human behavior must change. Legitimacy for some, "eco-dictatorship" for others. Solutions are formulated in terms of technology, planning & zoning etc. Solutions are implemented through social-science approaches, such as economics, political science, law, sociology, psychology, ... Environmental Think Tanks must be multi-disciplinary or "trans-disciplinary" which lowers acceptance of their science output and risks a loss of credibility 8
www.ecologic.eu Global Environmental Think Tanks – Who are They ? Of Global Relevance, visible at all key international events: International Institute for Sustainable Development ( IISD ), Canada & CH; the most credibly international (not Canadian) Think Tank; IISD runs the Earth Negotiation Bulletin, a reporting services on multilateral negotiations International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), the "World Conservation Union", CH & everywhere; an NGO and a hybrid network of governmental, IGO and NGO members (Ecologic Institute is member) World Resources Institute ( WRI ), USA; 'classic' US Think Tank with very strong international standing; WRI carried out the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the basis for discussion of biodiversity & conservation policy World Business Council for Sustainable Development ( WBCSD ), industry Many behind, but all of mainly national visibility and importance, or relevant only in specific areas, such as water, conservation, oceans, ... 9
www.ecologic.eu European Environmental Think Tanks – A Selection Institute for European Environmental Policy ( IEEP ), contract research first of its kind, most relevant; pioneered comparative implementation research, partner of the European Parliament (EP), (was) represented on the board of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Ecologic Institute , similar but younger, focus on integration of environ- mental concerns into other policy, partner of the EP, framework (service) contracts with European Commission and EEA Stockholm Environment Institute ( SEI ), governmental core and program funding, complemented by contract research, not only "Skandinavian" Regional Environment Center ( REC ) for Central and Eastern Europe, analysis and capacity building in countries and regions of transition Institut du Developpement Durable et Relations Internationales ( IDDRI ), government-created, increasingly academic, strong focus on global issues Sustainable Europe Research Institute ( SERI ), network of experts 10
www.ecologic.eu German Environmental Think Tanks – A Selection Öko-Institut , membership-based NGO, advocacy, "full service" think tank Wuppertal Institute , state government-created, partly core-funded, focus on climate, energy, production & consumption, industrial transformation Potsdam Institute , state and federal government-created, largely core- and program-funded, focus on climate change and adaptation Ecologic Institute , extra-academic, science-based & policy-relevant, "full service", international profile, moves into non-environmental policies Environmental Policy Center ( FFU ), Free University Berlin, academic, contract research, focus on policy-making & governance, international Institute for Ecological Economics ( IÖW ), extra-academic but scientific, focus on economics and economics policy, increasingly "full service" Institute for Social-Ecological Research ( ISÖE ), extra-academic but scientific, defined "social-ecological" and "trans-disciplinary" science 11
www.ecologic.eu Environmental Think Tanks – How to Work in Low Politics ? Limited influence : Environment remains a marginal policy field; environment continues to deteriorate, persistence of environmentally harmful or "perverse" subsidies Subversive influence : Ideas travel and are "adopted" by politicians, origin in a think tank is forgotten (condition for success of the ideas) Strategic influence : Good at "packaging arguments" for the longer term, "framing the issues" and "scoping the solutions" Guerilla Tactics : Ambush an issue at the right time. Needs preparedness and "analysis on the shelf" Creating opportunities for influence : Create "policy rhythm" through regular reports, events, press releases etc. ("policy cycle management") ... 12
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