Climate Change
Europe has been debating, agreeing and implementing climate change policy for over ten years. With the Kyoto Protocol in force since February 2005, a new era of international binding commitments has dawned. To meet the challenge the EU is implementing a range of instruments, including its EU emissions trading system and policies agreed under the European Climate Change Programme.
However, the real challenge is just beginning. The Council, Parliament, Commission and heads of state and government have all committed Europe to promoting policies to avoid exceeding global warming of 2°C. Enacting the policy domestically to achieve this limit, and helping guide international cooperation with other emitters, will be a major undertaking. This is all the more true at time when economic growth, market integration and energy security concerns do not always mesh with climate policy. IEEP plays a role advising and analysing policies, helping to make sure that our ambitions are matched by our actions.
The Climate team currently has seven research priorities:
- International climate policy agreements
- European policy instruments and implementation
- Emissions trading
- Clean energy technologies
- Transport
- Climate change links to nature protection, biodiversity, fisheries and agriculture
- Non-CO
2 gases
Our climate projects have been funded by, among others, the European Commission DGs Enterprise, Environment, and Research; by national environmental ministries from the UK and the Netherlands; by NGOs such as WWF, Greenpeace and Climate Action Network; and with industry groups including Calor Gas and BP.
Recent projects and papers include:
- The Transatlantic Platform for Action on the Global Environment
- Capacity building in New Member States and Accession Countries on Further Climate Change action post-2012
- The scientific links between climate change and natural disasters
- The climate change and energy aspects of the European Neighbourhood Policy
- Improving emissions projections modelling among EU member states
- Climate Change: the science, policy and implications for land and property management
- The economic and environmental impact of including aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
- Options to amend the EU Emissions trading Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines
- Identifying good regulatory practice in the EU Emissions Trading System
- Impact assessment of measures to reduce CO
2 from passenger cars - Policy pathways to promote the development and adoption of cleaner technologies
- Acceptance of CO
2 capture and storage economics, policy and technology - Design of a labelling scheme of fluorinated greenhouse gas containing equipment
- The prospects for inclusion of non-CO
2 gases in the EU emissions trading system
View all our publications relating to climate change.
For interviews, comment and articles, please contact Dr Pernille Schiellerup, Head of Climate Change Programme, or Catherine Bowyer, Senior Policy Analyst.