Resilient Pathways to Climate Neutrality

Lessons from Member States' long-term climate strategies

Event: Digital Event
Date: 10 November 2022
Location: online
Speaker: Eike Karola Velten

Nick Evans

Matthias Duwe

For the EU, the long-term strategy (LTS) produced the vision of a climate neutral future that is at the heart of the European Green Deal. All Member States have the same obligation to produce national LTSs under EU law. A team of researchers has now analysed the state of these documents and their relevance in national policy-making for the first time across the EU. This event presents the most important insights from this analysis and seeks to start a conversation with all relevant stakeholders on how to improve their effective use.

Decision-makers across Europe are looking for an effective policy response to the challenge of creating a climate-friendly, energy-secure and socially just future. Revamping our energy system and transitioning to climate neutrality requires bold and speedy action. The Paris Agreement contains long-term goals and pathways and suggests national long-term strategies (LTSs) as a key tool to inform policy. These strategies chart possible pathways into the future to inform current policy-making.

Agenda

15:30   Welcome
Matthias Duwe, Head, Climate – Ecologic Institute (Moderator)
15:35   Introduction
Erica Hope, Director Climate Planning & Laws, European Climate Foundation
15:40   A video key-note
Laurence Tubiana, CEO, European Climate Foundation

15:45 Lessons from existing national long-term strategies
Presentation of study results
Eike Velten and Nick Evans, Ecologic Institute

16:05 Perspectives from the institutions
Panel discussion and questions from the audience

Vicky Pollard, Acting Head of Unit, Foresight, Economic Analysis & Modelling (A.2), DG CLIMA, European Commission (confirmed)
Gwenaël Podesta, Deputy Head of the Emissions, Projections and Modelling Department, Ministry of Ecological Transition, France (confirmed)
Katarina Trstenjak, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) Slovenia and formerly involved in the LIFE project Climate Path 2050, (invited)

16:55 Closing remarks:
Matthias Duwe, Head, Climate – Ecologic Institute

Charting a Path to Net Zero: Country specific information

Year 2023

Publication:Infographic

Preparing and then adopting a robust and sufficiently detailed long-term climate strategy is a crucial step. These strategies should include pathways that identify the necessary changes in the main emitting sectors and the economy as a whole. The plans need to take into consideration the specific national starting conditions and include economic, technical and social aspects, as well as other long-term objectives (e.g., adaptation needs or biodiversity goals). This infographic shows puzzle pieces that should be considered when developing strategies for moving toward net-zero emissions.

Puzzle Pieces for Charting a Path to Net-zero Emissions

Year 2022

Publication:Infographic

This infographic visualizes the proposed three-step process (preparation, implementation, monitoring) for EU member states to strengthen LTS relevance for net-zero. It's part of the report "Charting a Path to Net Zero. An assessment of national long-term strategies in the EU." The report presents the findings from an assessment of 22 long-term strategies (LTSs) of the EU Member States available as of March 2022. It is complemented by a briefing that summarizes the key findings and recommendations.

Enhancing LTS Relevance for Net-zero

Year 2022

Publication:Infographic

All EU member states should be clear on the role of emission reductions and removals, and ideally include specific long-term reduction and removal targets. LTSs should provide information about when and how these reductions and removals will be realised. This means strategies must include a description of pathways, including interim targets, to paint a clear picture of what needs to happen in the short- and longer term. This infographic visualizes different pathways of long-term strategies. It's part of the report "Charting a Path to Net Zero. An assessment of national long-term strategies in the EU." The report presents the findings from an assessment of 22 long-term strategies (LTSs) of the EU Member States available as of March 2022. It is complemented by a briefing that summarizes the key findings and recommendations.

Understanding Potential Pathways towards Net-zero

Year 2022

Publication:Report

This report presents the findings from an assessment of 22 long-term strategies (LTSs) of the EU Member States available as of March 2022. It is complemented by a briefing that summarizes the key findings and recommendations. The analysis looked at two distinct qualities of strategies: the vision of a low-emission future represented in the pathways and projections of the LTS as well as the preparation and use of the strategy as a tool to guide policy decisions, in other words its relevance in national climate policy.

Charting a Path to Net Zero

An assessment of national long-term strategies in the EU

Year 2022

Publication:Document

first page of the summary "CHARTING A PATH TO NET ZERO: AN ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL LONG-TERM STRATEGIES IN THE EU"

This summary distils the insights from the technical report "Charting a Path to Net Zero: An assessment of national long-term strategies in the EU" commissioned by the European Climate Foundation and written by Ecologic Institute. It summarizes the key findings and recommendations from an assessment of 22 long-term strategies (LTSs) of EU Member States available as of March 2022. The summary and the full technical report are available for download.

Charting a Path to Net Zero – Summary

An assessment of national long-term strategies in the EU

Year 2022

Project

Reaching climate neutrality by 2050 in the EU requires strong policy making and monitoring to ensure all areas of the European economy get and remain on track. Over two years (2021-2022) Ecologic Institute completed several related research projects and policy assessments on the functioning and fitness of EU climate policy for a net-zero future. These included a first-of-its-kind assessment of the substance of national long-term strategies (LTS), a scoping paper for an EU Carbon Dioxide Removal strategy, the creation of a Climate Framework Laws Info-Matrix as a new resource to document the substance and status of these legislative instruments across Europe, and a net-zero scorecard as proof of concept for a net-zero monitoring framework developed under a previous project.

Assessments Supporting EU Progress towards Climate Neutrality

Pieces of analysis on the functioning and fitness of EU climate policy for a net-zero future.

Jun 2021 - Jun 2023

Funding: European Climate Foundation (ECF), International
Organizer: Ecologic Institute, Germany
Speaker: Eike Karola Velten

Nick Evans

Matthias Duwe
Team: Deyana Kocher

Ramiro de la Vega

Philip Katz
Date: 10 November 2022
Location: online
Language: English
Project: Assessments Supporting EU Progress towards Climate Neutrality
Project ID: 50058
Keywords: Climate

Energy

EU

Governance

National long-term strategies, LTS, governance, planning, net-zero, climate neutrality, elements for climate neutrality, long-term vision, relevance, NECPs, National Energy and Climate Plans

Europe

Further Links

PublicationDocumentMaking EU Climate Governance Fit for Net Zero

Cover of the scientific opinion paper "Making EU climate governance fit for net zero"

The paper "Making EU Governance Fit for Net Zero" analyses the current landscape of climate policy governance against eight core parameters at EU level and for Member States, and identifies a number of remaining weaknesses. Improvements should address several key... Read more

Duwe, Matthias 2022: Making EU climate governance fit for net zero. An analysis of the current landscape of relevant EU climate policy processes and recommendations for alignment with the climate neutrality objective. Scientific opinion paper. Dessau-Roßlau: Federal Environment Agency.

PublicationReportLong-Term Strategies Assessment of the Visegrád Group Countries

@ Climate Recon 2050

Comparative analysis of the long-term strategies in Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia finds both commonalities as well as significant differences. The strategies in their current form represent an initial guide for each national transformation pathway towards a net... Read more

Kobylka, Krzysztof; Laskowski, Kamil; Śniegocki Aleksander (Wise Europa) 2022: Long-Term Strategies Assessment of the Visegrád Group Countries. WiseEuropa: Warsaw.

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

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,... Read more

Matthias Duwe and Ewa Iwaszuk, Ecologic Institute. 2019. "LTS in Europe: Experience from National and EUwide 2050 Climate Planning."

PublicationReportMeasuring Progress towards Climate Neutrality

1st page of the summary report "Measuring progress towards climate neutrality" with logos, text and infographic

Achieving climate neutrality requires structural changes to our economic system, with solutions that work across sectors. Correspondingly, measuring progress and designing policy towards the EU's net zero ambition requires a framework that captures the complexity of the... Read more

Duwe, Matthias; Eike Karola Velten, Isabel Haase, Nicolas Berghmans, Nick Evans and Deyana Spasova (2021): Measuring progress towards climate neutrality. Ecologic Institute, Berlin / IDDRI, Paris

PublicationReportMeasuring Progress towards Climate Neutrality – Part I

Cover of Part I of the Report 'Measuring Progress Towards Climate Neutrality'

@ Ecologic Institute

To achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2050, the EU’s economy must undergo profound structural change. When determining where we are in this transition, the focus often lies on (sectoral) greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy consumption, and does not... Read more

Velten, Eike Karola; Isabel Haase, Nicolas Berghmans, Matthias Duwe and Nick Evans (2021): Measuring progress towards climate neutrality. Part I: Assessing structural change through net zero indicators. Ecologic Institute, Berlin / IDDRI, Paris

PublicationReportMeasuring Progress towards Climate Neutrality – Part II

Cover Measuring Progress Towards Climate Neutrality Part II

Ecologic Institute

The EU has set a legally binding target of a climate neutral Europe by 2050. Tracking progress towards this goal in an accurate and systematic way is important. The EU needs a clear impression of what has been achieved, but also the way forward. Currently, various EU... Read more

Duwe, Matthias; Eike Karola Velten, Isabel Haase, Nicolas Berghmans, Nick Evans and Deyana Spasova (2021): Measuring progress towards climate neutrality. Part II: Integrating indicators in EU governance processes. Ecologic Institute, Berlin / IDDRI, Paris

PublicationReportClimate Governance Systems in Europe: the role of national advisory bodies

The number of scientific climate advisory bodies is growing rapidly across European countries, including the establishment of one at the EU-level. Under the right conditions, such expert councils can help governments not only make the right climate policy decisions but... Read more

Evans, Nick; Matthias Duwe (2021): 'Climate governance systems in Europe: the role of national advisory bodies'. Ecologic Institute, Berlin; IDDRI, Paris.