Climate Governance - Sharing the European Experience

Programme Description

Facts about climate change are worrying citizens and policy-makers across the globe. Since Climate Change became a subject of international concern in the early 1990s, many actions have been undertaken. However, new evidence suggests that these are not sufficient to keep the increase in global average temperature well below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels.

For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has calculated the ‘carbon budget’ that is left for future use. The conclusion the IPCC draws presents a real policy challenge: relatively few countries of the world have already consumed two thirds of this global carbon budget while the world population continues to rise, and emerging economies are fast catching-up with those economies that consumed most of this budget.

We know today that we have to step-up action in all countries. What are the lessons learnt from the past as to introduce the most effective policy measures and which are the most promising areas in which to accelerate action? Focusing on the European approach to climate change policies, the course aims to share and compare experiences and discuss possible paths for the future.

This course will provide policy-makers and practitioners working on implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions of the Paris Agreement with an introduction to the instruments and polices that have been developed within the European Union. By sharing the experience of creating a common climate policy amongst 28 EU Member States and overcoming their social, economic and political differences, the course will provide useful insights and reflections for transnational cooperation and negotiations at the international level.