As EU leaders meet in Versaille, energy is set to be a key topic. But leaders must ensure that the decisions they make to break away from Russian energy push the EU in the direction of sustainability, argue European sustainability think tanks.
Modelling of the distributional impacts of the proposed Energy Taxation Directive reform and Emissions Trading Scheme extension shows these polluter pays policies can help fight inequality and the climate crisis.
The French Presidency of the Council announced that reaching an agreement on CBAM will be one of its top priorities. As discussions have intensified both in the European Parliament and between Member States, the Green Trade Network issues this Summary for EU decision-makers highlighting four mutually reinforcing essential principles to be respected to deliver on a robust, effective and ambitious CBAM.
EU Member States with greener tax systems tend to also have more progressive tax systems and lower inequality. Opportunities for fair, green tax reform are being missed in the recovery from COVID-19.
The European Commission proposes a complementary Delegated Act to the EU Taxonomy, which would see nuclear power and fossil gas eligible for sustainable finance. IEEP’s Ben Allen gives his account of the discussion.
This new report finds that EU polluters are not currently paying for most of the environmental damage they cause and explores how taxes and other economic instruments could help to better apply the polluter pays principle.
This blog post reflects on the year in sustainable finance together with colleagues of Think Sustainable Europe, the pan-European Network of sustainability think tanks coordinated by IEEP.
A political agreement was found for the first step of the EU Taxonomy. This represents a major achievement for the EU’s sustainable finance agenda, yet political decisions and lack of transparency endanger the scientific basis on which the strength of the Taxonomy rests.
According to a new semi-systematic literature review conducted by IEEP, supported by five case studies, the single most important factor in unlocking local and regional socio-economic benefits of renewables is the degree of ownership of the resources within the region. This is a robust finding across many types of regions, technologies, and research methodologies.
This blog was written by Michael Nicholson, Head of UK Environmental Policy at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), who attended COP26 as an IEEP delegate. The statements expressed in this blog do not necessarily represent the views of IEEP.
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) proposal, as it currently stands, is legally sound but requires to be improved through a more rapid phase-out of free allowances and the mobilisation of revenues for climate justice.
What kind of information does the European Union need to get serious about implementing the Green New Deal? One critical aspect is finding out the impacts that its consumption and production is having on biodiversity, both at home and in other parts of the world: its biodiversity footprint.
Today IEEP responded to the public consultation on the draft sustainability criteria for the sustainable finance taxonomy. In the call for feedback, the Platform on Sustainable Finance is gathering evidence to strengthen the final recommendations to the European Union.
Policies that serve current and future generations should be developed with a robust science-policy interface. The EU Taxonomy process teaches valuable lessons on the need to strengthen the elements that underpin decision-making. IEEP, together with Marzia Traverso (RWTH Aachen University) draw conclusions on transparency, independence and accessibility of scientific evidence in the political decision-making process.
New technical screening criteria for Biodiversity, Water, Pollution, Circular Economy to guide private investments are out for review under the EU Taxonomy framework.
Gender is one of the most important determinants of transport choices. EU mobility policy and the European Green Deal are still mostly gender blind, with negative consequences for the sustainability and accessibility of mobility in the EU.
A recent webinar co-hosted by IEEP and the Thin Green Line Foundation UK discussed the central role of rangers in delivering the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, both in Europe and globally. The event followed the launch of a guidance demonstrating how area-based conservation can help to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the world.
The European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ package of proposals would extend EU-wide carbon pricing from around 22 percent of EU greenhouse gas emissions today to over two thirds of EU emissions by 2030, according to an initial analysis by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP).
Digitalisation holds promise in a number of ways to help to combat climate change and enhance environmental sustainability, but equally many possible pitfalls for sustainability and other social issues.