How to find a balance between incentives and disincentives? Two different visions from either side of the Atlantic. With the USA launching its Inflation Reduction Act, Basile Chartier and Thorfinn Stainforth from the Institute for European Environmental Policy, walk us through some of the most important American and European environmental policy developments.
As countries implement measures to curb emissions they are also looking to protect local industry players from unfair competition and ensure that emissions aren’t simply shifted outside of their jurisdiction. Carbon border adjustments use levies and rebates to do just that. How do they work and why are they contentious?
Is it possible to build a zero-carbon world and, at the same time, guarantee sustainable development and well-being prospects? The answer depends on how capable we are of building development models in which economic growth does not go hand in hand with growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
The circular economy is all about replacing the current “linear” model of growth and reducing the strain on planet Earth’s limited resources. Currently, the global economy is only 9% circular – just 9% of the 92.8 billion tonnes of minerals, fossil fuels, metals and biomass that enter the economy are re-used annually. However, as policymakers and businesses start embracing the circular model they need science and research to provide fact based knowledge that can dictate policy and direct businesses towards effective strategies and away from pointless “greenwashing”.
“Moving first and moving fast” to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050: ambitious objectives and an investment plan that will activate over one trillion in new capital flows as well as generating jobs. Not to mention a new Climate Law that has the potential to become the most innovative legal regime in the history of environmental legislation. The European Green Deal illustrated in detail.
The idea of mitigating climate change by removing carbon from the air is nothing new. It has been present on the desks of academics, businessmen and policymakers for over twenty years, taking a central role in climate change prediction models and leading to intense debates on its feasibility and potential for scale up so as to avoid catastrophic climate change. A new study published in the Energy and Environmental Science journal outlines a new ground-breaking technology that may be able to overcome some of the criticisms levelled at direct air capture for carbon storage technologies.
Climate change will have a growing influence on the stability of the banking system, potentially contributing to future financial crises. A new paper published in Nature highlights the detrimental effects of climate change on the banking system, adding to established literature on the effects of climate change on economic growth and productivity of labour. However, financial regulation authorities can act to reduce climate-related risks by implementing targeted measures.
Historically adaptation projects have received less funding than ones for mitigation. Furthermore, the burden of implementing adaptation is falling ever more on the public sector, whereas for mitigation private sector interest and investments are on the rise. This is leading to consequences in how climate finance allocates resources which are failing to support at risk areas and Least Developed Countries. The Green Climate Fund aims to bridge this funding gap and has secured its second round of funding, this time obtaining 9.78 billion USD in pledges.
The outdoor industry is a booming business as more and more people take to the outdoors for recreational activities. However, enjoying being in nature doesn’t always translate into environmental awareness and the outdoor industry itself is contributing little towards maintaining the natural environments that its customers rely on. With a growing consumer base and increased economic clout this sector has the potential to help educate people on the current climate crisis.
A record breaking 11 million jobs in 2018: as renewables continue to generate employment, policy makers and businesses are beginning to see beyond the purely environmental benefits and recognise the broad socio-economic opportunities and benefits that renewables can bring
Strategic policy and investment decisions supporting the transition to a pathway of low-carbon, sustainable growth could lead to direct economic gains of US$26 trillion by
How do we meet the hunger, poverty, energy, growth goals while meeting the environmental goals? What are the synergies and trade-offs? What are the costs
