From climate justice at COP29 to the future of the transatlantic relationship under a new president, our 2024 answered questions, raised new ones, and even included a visit from Luisa Neubauer and Helena Marschall. Dive into a whirlwind year!
2024 has been an incredibly busy year at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington, DC. We’ve published analyses of topics ranging from Eurovision to the status of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, hosted international visitors talking about feminist foreign policy or the importance of democratic resilience, supported journalism looking at climate disinformation and Europe’s response to the war in Ukraine, and so, so much more.
January
To start the year, we updated the Climate Funds Update data dashboard - providing a comprehensive view of multilateral climate finance flows across the world. We also looked at the gap between European commitments to feminist foreign policy and immigration control. And to start with a theme that would continue throughout the year, we explored Europe’s role on the world stage: in terms of hard power and diplomatic prestige, there remains a clear need for Europe to be more active.
February
In February, we took a look at what US foreign policy, the transatlantic relationship, and Europe without a consistent ally in the US would mean - with discussions and papers exploring what a second Trump term holds for the EU, NATO, and the UK. A conversation with Max Bergmann moderated by our Foreign & Security Policy Program Director Teresa Eder went into what Europe should be doing, and a policy brief explained the importance for “strategic autonomy.” Gesine Weber looked at how the UK and EU would need to work together on security issues under a (at the time) potential second Trump administration. And Klaus Linsenmeier, our Office Director from 2009 to 2014, returned to guide the office while Hannah Winnick was on leave.
March
As spring came in March, we talked about the importance of critical raw materials, and investment controls in the transatlantic space. Three briefs explained how domestic policies aimed at onshoring technology could affect the Global South, the fight against climate change, and the transatlantic space. Associate Director Liane Schalatek wrote her first of many articles about the Loss and Damage Fund - before its name was changed - and what would need to happen for it to be operationalized in a way that made it adequate to its duty. And we republished two pieces of longform reporting we supported about climate disinformation: one about the fossil fuel industry’s role in education in Illinois, and another about conspiracy theories and bike lanes on Canada’s west coast.
April
In April, we looked to the Great White North and new legislation aimed at making the internet safer and more Canadian with a podcast and analysis of bills C-11 and C-18. Juggling questions of free speech, market consolidation, and the promotion of content created at home, we dived into Canada’s new digital regulations. We also announced our 2024 Transatlantic Media Fellows - who covered a huge variety of topics from how Poland is transitioning away from coal by building new public space to how homophobic groups in the US are exporting “conversion therapy” to Europe.
May
May had a European focus - with the European Parliament elections just around the corner, we provided context and insight into one of the biggest elections in a year filled with them. Those elections were a litmus test in the fight against disinformation. We also looked at how Europe and countries in Africa could work together to create safer online spaces, protect election integrity, and fight disinformation - and why they should. Europeans also voted in another important contest for the soul of the continent: Eurovision, the yearly song contest that highlights the complexity of European and national identity (while also being incredibly campy and fun).
June
As the summer heat and humidity arrived in Washington, we looked at the European election results (for the parliament, not Eurovision). One clear outcome: European climate protection will be reduced in the future. We also covered the outcomes of the first board meeting of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage in an interview that explained everything from civil society’s relationship to the fund to the nitty-gritty of what procedural steps (like picking a director) were on the agenda for this year. And we zoomed out on the climate finance question, looking at the whole landscape: a quantum leap was needed in 2024 to fight climate change.
July
In July, we supported the publication of a large study looking into conscription in Europe - a topic suddenly in vogue because of uncertainty about American support and concerns about a more aggressive Russia. The models in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia show it can’t solve all security issues, it shouldn’t be ignored - and has societal benefits too. Based on our Grow the Future study tour with democracy defenders in May, we looked at how people in Michigan forged alliances to protect democracy - and how that can run up against its own success. And continuing our years-long focus on Loss and Damage, we previewed the second board meeting of the Loss and Damage Fund.
August
During a hot and humid August, we supported work looking at the Border Security Industrial Complex. The surveillance of migrants - and financial flows to the companies making it possible - is an undercovered topic of both human rights and digital policy. And we dove into how the EU works to protect democracy, with lessons for liberal democracies worldwide - as threats to human rights, fair elections, and the rule of law continue to become more widespread.
September
As the weather stayed alarmingly balmy, Luisa Neubauer and Helena Marschall came on a trip across the US - from Duluth to Boston to New Orleans, they met with students, congressional staff, and activists. Activist workshops, public seminars, and briefings on what the next Congress and administration might do were some of the highlights of the exchange. We also looked into how do trade rules and sustainable consumption get in the way of each other. From supply chain regulation to secrecy protections for source code, there are avenues where trade rules currently block consumer protection and greening international trade - but changing those same rules could instead promote a greener, more consumer-oriented tech landscape. We also addressed the threat of online gender-based violence, and provided some thoughts on how to make a safer, more inclusive internet. Interim Office Director Klaus Linsenmeier left to head the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s office in Prague as Hannah Winnick came back to our office.
October
Continuing our tradition of in-depth analysis of every year’s COP, we gathered together everything someone would need to prepare for the “climate finance” COP. The headline: COP29 will determine if international climate finance can create climate justice. But another international conference, the UN Summit for the Future, already had its outcome by October: digital policy had officially joined the stage as a global priority, just like climate change, as Sabine Muscat reported.
November
Transatlantic Media Fellow Marilen Martin reported on Ukrainian efforts to green its energy sector - and how it will help build resilience against Russian attacks on the country’s power grid. But foreign investment remains elusive. With the re-election of Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s new role in the Republican Party, we published an analysis of how Europe could create the “Euro Stack” - digital public infrastructure that would drive innovation and lessen dependence on Big Tech. We also published an overview of COP29: a failure that will exacerbate climate injustice and open new loopholes to put more carbon in the atmosphere. Associate Director Liane Schalatek, one of the world’s leading experts on international climate finance, celebrated 25 years with the team.
December
To close out the year, we published reactions from around the world about the US presidential election. In short: politicians like Trump feel emboldened, America’s role in democratic alliances is deeply in question, and climate protections, already lacking investment from the Global North, are under radical threat. We also looked at how Germany is trying to implement feminist foreign policy despite political headwinds blowing in the opposite direction. Our Climate & Environmental Policy Director Mareike Moraal also announced that she will be leaving the foundation early next year.