Intra-EU Exchange to Raise Awareness and Build Capacity on Long-term Climate Strategies (Climate Recon 2050)

Project
Duration: Nov 2017 - Oct 2019

Towards Paris-Compatible Climate Governance Frameworks

Long-term climate strategies are an important instrument to help policy-makers and relevant stakeholders to establish a direction towards a climate-friendly future. The Paris Agreement asks all countries to establish such strategies – and EU Member States will soon be committed under EU law to produce them by 2020 at the latest. Not all EU countries have tried to establish plans that long into the future (up to 2050 and beyond) and the existing ones differ in scope and specificity. There is thus a need for exchange of the current experience and a sharing of best practice – including improving the understanding of the underlying modelling and scenario work. The Climate Recon 2050 project brings together policymakers from EU Member States, as well technical experts and climate modellers in two parallel fora to provide a space for exactly such a dialogue.

The two fora ("Policy-Maker Platform" and "Technical Dialogue") are closely interconnected: the policymakers will have a chance to communicate their information needs, while the technical partners will share their findings and explain challenges that they face. Notes and insights will be exchanged between the two fora, throughout the duration of the project. The project will be accompanied by a number of outreach activities, including webinars, side events at UNFCCC meetings and national events in various Member States. Updates will be available via the project website (launching soon).

Initially, government officials from six countries (CZ, DE, FR, EE, IT, PL) have pledged their commitment to participating – but representatives from other countries are signalling their interest in the project as well. Ecologic Institute has gathered eight partners from six countries with a wealth of experience in EU climate change policy-making processes and related modelling and scenario development to provide inputs to the process.

The project is financed under the first round of projects coming out of the "call for ideas" of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), established in 2017 by the German Environment Ministry to foster intra-EU exchange on climate policy at all levels of society and policy-making.

Fourth Meeting of the Policymaker Platform (PMP4)

22 - 23 October 2019
Berlin, Germany

Publication:Policy Brief

Climate planning for 2050 has become a core strand of debate in the European Union. Focus has shifted to a potential revision of the EU's long-term climate objectives within the context of a new 2050 strategy, which is to be submitted to the United Nations under the Paris Agreement by 2020. In parallel, all EU Member States must develop national strategies of their own, albeit with little central guidance and no overarching structure in place for collaboration.

Planning for 2050 – Shifting the focus towards long-term climate objectives

Year 2019

Publication:Case Study

This case study, prepared by Ecologic Institute and published by World Resources Institute (WRI) describes the status quo and relevant recent developments at the EU and national levels on long-term climate strategies, detailing relevant insights on legal obligations, specific features, existing challenges, and potential future processes. The case study, written by Ecologic Institute's Matthias Duwe and Ewa Iwaszuk, is available for download.

Long-term Climate Strategies in Europe: Experience from National and EU-wide 2050 Climate Planning

Year 2019

Event:Conference

The conference "Planning for 2050", organised by Ecologic Institute, will take place on 23 May 2019 in Brussels. It takes stock of the experience with long-term climate strategies gained in Europe and presents lessons learnt as well as challenges encountered in different Member States – and seeks to connect them to the EU's own overall 2050 vision. It is based on insights, conversations and contacts made through a set of dialogue meetings held under the "Climate Recon 2050" project, which brought together policymakers and technical experts involved in long-term strategies from around the EU. A conference brochure, summarising insights from the Climate Recon 2050 project, is available online.

Planning for 2050 – Conference

23 May 2019
Brussels, Belgium

Event:Workshop

The third set of dialogue workshops for government officials and experts from the "Climate Recon 2050" project were held in Copenhagen at the end of February 2019. The project team have been organizing two main fora for that workshop: a Technical Dialogue, for modellers and other experts designing 2050 climate policy scenarios – and a Policy-Maker Platform, to create a space for experience sharing among representatives from different EU countries.

Dialogues on Long-Term Climate Strategies

27 - 28 February 2019
Copenhagen, Denmark

Event:Conference

On Wednesday, 12 December 2018, Ecologic Institute, Energiaklub, and Negawatt hosted a side-event at the COP24 on behalf of the project ClimateRecon 2050 to present specific examples of long-term climate strategies in Europe.

Momentum on Long-Term Climate Strategies: Where We Are in Europe? – Side Event from the Climate Recon 2050 Project at COP24

12 December 2018
Katowice, Poland

Event:Digital Event

This webinar presented findings from two projects on strategies to reach ambitiously low-emission levels in European industry. It looked at technological solutions, but also at strategies such as the reduction of demand and the increase rates of recycling. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.

Scenarios for Deep Decarbonisation of the EU Industry

26 November 2018
online

Presentation:Chairing

The Think 2030 conference has launched a new sustainability platform, which aims to inform a science-based agenda for European environmental policy beyond 2020 and propose solutions to Europe's most pressing sustainability issues. Ecologic Institute's Matthias Duwe co-authored a paper on long-term climate planning in the EU together with Lola Vallejo (IDDRI), which was discussed during a dedicated session. A summary of the paper is available.

Think 2030: Science-policy solutions for a more sustainable Europe

17 - 18 October 2018
R. Andreas Kraemer

Event:Digital Event

In the EU, the aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use energy more efficiently. This webinar presented a number of key topics connected to a role that district heating plays in achieving decarbonisation of economies and energy systems. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.

District Heating in Decarbonising Economies

29 October 2018
online

Funding: Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
Partner: Ecologic Institute, Germany

Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI (Fraunhofer ISI), Germany

Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), France

Oeko-Institut (Öko-Institut e.V.), Germany

Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Italy

Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark

Energiaklub Climate Policy Institute and Applied Communications Association (EnergiaKlub), Hungary

Association négaWatt (négaWatt), France

WiseEuropa (WiseEuropa), Poland
Team: Matthias Duwe

Ewa Iwaszuk

Karl Lehmann

Arif Jensen
Duration: Nov 2017 - Oct 2019
Project ID: 3201
Keywords: Climate

Energy

EU

Governance

Long-term climate strategies, NECPs, National Energy and Climate Plans, EU, climate, European Union, strategy, 2050, long-term, decarbonisation, CO2, modelling, scenarios, Paris Agreement, Article 4.19, mitigation, greenhouse gas emissions, GHG, carbon budget, coal, renewable energy, solar energy, governance, planning, mainstreaming, climate and energy targets, Member States, policymakers, Energy Union, Article 14, transformation, ambition, transition, energy security, climate protection

Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Estonia, France

dialogue, exchange, platform, knowledge exchange, webinar, side event at UNFCCC meeting

Further Links

PublicationReportTowards Paris-compatible Climate Governance Frameworks

Strong national climate governance frameworks are crucial to establish and maintain political support for the low-carbon transition and facilitate the implementation of policies. The truly robust governance frameworks combine key elements such as legally binding targets... Read more

Rüdinger, A., Voss-Stemping, J., Sartor, O., Duwe, M., Averchenkova, A. (2018). Towards Paris-compatible climate governance frameworks. An overview of findings from recent research into 2050 climate laws and strategies. Studies N°04/18, IDDRI, Paris, France, 20 p.

PublicationReportHappy Birthday, Paris Agreement! Here is how the EU will be celebrating

Analyse der Vorschläge der drei EU-Institutionen zu den Schlüsselelementen des Pariser Abkommens

The EU runs the risk of not properly implementing key elements from the Paris climate treaty. As the Paris Agreement prepares to celebrate its second birthday on 12 December 2017, the EU is reaching a decisive stage in the negotiations on the so-called Governance... Read more

Duwe, Matthias (2017): Happy Birthday, Paris Agreement! Here is what the EU is getting you. State of play on the negotiations on the Energy Union Governance Regulation on three core elements of the Paris Agreement - ahead of decisions in the European Parliament and Council, Report, Ecologic Institute: Berlin

ProjectQualitative and Quantitative Assessment of EU Member State Low Carbon Development Strategies (MaxiMiseR)

At the climate summit in Cancun (2010), industrialized parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to develop Low Carbon Development Strategies (LCDS) as a means of realizing the long-term emissions cuts required in the face of... Read more

Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of EU Member State Low Carbon Development Strategies (MaxiMiseR)

Duration: Mar - Jun 2016
Funding: WWF European Policy Office (WWF EPO), International