Policy Outreach Events

Presenters:

• Philippe Tulkens, European Commission DG RTD
• Alejandro Caparrós, Durham University
• Stale Navrud, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
• Katinka Holtsmark, University of Oslo

The session, organized by the Policy Outreach Committee, will focus on two key topics as we approach COP30.

First, building on the IPBES-IPCC previous studies on biodiversity and climate (IPBES, 2021), it will explore how biodiversity and ecosystem services can be integrated into climate action, focusing particularly on carbon credit systems that help both mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.

The session will also discuss how to strengthen cooperation between the Global North and South, building on the progress made at COP29. Special attention will be given to Europe’s role in supporting biodiversity protection in the Global South through financial support and capacity- building, aiming to create more equitable and collaborative global solutions to climate challenges.

Watch the session’s recording on YouTube.

The 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Belém (Brazil) on November 10-21, 2025. EAERE is delighted to announce its participation in the COP30 official side event on “Local climate finance for a just transition to carbon neutral and resilient cities“. Co-organised by SUR Lab Bocconi University, European Association of Environmental and Resource and Economists (EAERE), Conseil des Communes et Régions d’Europe (CCRE / CEMR), and Polytechnic of Turin, the event will be held on November 11, 2025 at 18:30 – 20:00 Local Time / 22:30 – 24:00 (CET) in the side event room 9 in Belém (Brazil) and online.

The topic

The workshop will explore how local climate finance can support a just transition toward carbon‑neutral and resilient cities. Governance frameworks and innovative financing instruments will be discussed, while also considering their capacity to channel resources to cities in both developing and developed countries through a range of case studies.

Speakers

• Simone Borghesi, President of EAERE, Director of FSR Climate at EUI and Vice Rector for International Relations at University of Siena
• Edoardo Croci, Spoke 1 MUSA Scarl and Director of the SUR Lab at Bocconi University
• Patrizia Lombardi, Full Professor at Polytechnic University of Turin
• Jane Lumumba, Programme Management Officer for Strategy and Climate Change at UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Africa
• Tadashi Matsumoto, Head, National Urban Policy and Climate Resilience Unit at OECD
• Céline Papin, Vice Mayor of Bordeaux, Member of AFCCRE and CUF
• Karl Steininger, Full Professor at University of Graz

Moderator

• Benedetta Lucchitta, Researcher at SUR Lab, Bocconi University

Online participation

Please note that access is reserved for participants regularly registered in the ORS system. As UNFCCC Observer Organisation, EAERE was granted some badges for COP30 virtual participation. EAERE members can contact the EAERE Secretariat at eaere@eaere.org by November, 6 to obtain a virtual badge. Accreditation is on a first come, first served basis.

COP30 Virtual Platform: https://cop30platform.unfccc.int/login?url=home&Eid=68b12e4da112abc6063a9acc

To honour the memory of David W. Pearce on the 20th anniversary of his passing, a dedicated roundtable discussion on his legacy will be organised during the 11th Annual Conference on the Economic Assessment of European Climate Policies in collaboration with EAERE Policy Outreach Committee. The session will take place in person on December 2, 2025 at 3:45-4:45 pm CET and will be chaired by Simone Borghesi (EUI, University of Siena). Invited speakers include Astrid Agostini (FAO), Ben Groom (University of Exeter), Xavier Labandeira (University of Vigo), and Massimiliano Mazzanti (University of Ferrara). The Conference, supported by EAERE, is organised by the Climate Area of the FSR on December 2-3, 2025 at the EUI in Florence (Italy). Free registration will open soon on the event’s page.

The EAERE Policy Outreach event “Advancing carbon market integration under Article 6“, organised by the Florence School of Transnational Governance, the FSR: Florence School of Regulation and STG Climate, will take place on  May 7, 2025 at 09:30 – 11:00 am CEST in the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Hall in Palazzo Buontalenti in Florence (Italy).

The event is framed within the EUI Climate Week 2025.

The Conference

During this event, we will explore the current state of carbon market integration. Increasing the links and connections between Emissions Trading Systems (ETSs) could lead to significant environmental and economic gains. Yet, while new ETSs were implemented worldwide in previous years, their integration progressed more slowly due to divergent design features (e.g., intensity-based vs. cap-based systems). Meanwhile, COP29 in Baku has led to a common set of rules that operationalise Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to facilitate international cooperation and unlock financial support for developing countries. But can this development accelerate the integration of ETSs? In this context, who are realistic candidates for linking? To address these questions, a presentation will provide a starting point to discuss enablers and barriers for internationally integrated ETSs. A policy roundtable will follow the presentation.

This event is part of the annual Net Zero Carbon Market Policy Dialogue (NZCMPD) organised under the EU-funded LIFE COASE project framework. The policy dialogue aims to facilitate international carbon market cooperation between the EU and partner jurisdictions on key topics around net-zero regulation and integration of carbon markets. This event is the first part of the 2025 NZCMPD, focusing on the state of play on international carbon markets. The second part of the policy dialogue will take place in September and address the methods and findings of the latest ex-ante and ex-post assessments of the EU ETS and other ETSs worldwide.

Moderation

• Simone Borghesi (EUI, University of Siena, EAERE)

Opening Remarks

• Baran Doda (Adelphi)

Panelists

• Nataliya Kushko (ERCST)
• Mette Quinn (DG Climate Action, European Commission)
• Xiliang Zhang (Tsinghua University)
• José Pedro Bastos Neves (Ministry of Finance, Brazil)

Conclusion

• Jos Delbeke (EUI)

Read the sessions’ report and watch the interviews with the panelists here.

With the European Green New Deal, the ecological transition became an ineluctable priority. It is crucial due to climate change, pollution, and resource depletion, although concerns arise about how to ensure no one is left behind. In particular, carbon-intensive regions face the need for restructuring, leading to risks of significant job losses and reduced economic activity.

To address this challenge, The European Union introduced the Just Transition Mechanism (JTM) in January 2020, with the Just Transition Fund (JTF) as its funding component. The JTM is a set of strategies that aim to mitigate the impact of the just transition on regions, industries and workers. The cornerstone of this mechanism is the Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs), presented by the countries or regions that will face the challenges of just transition. All Members States are required to present these plans in order to have access to the JTF, identifying the main strategies that they aspire to develop for the transition process until 2030, coherent with the objectives of the National Energy and Climate Plans.

The JTF serves as a financial instrument to assist energy-intensive and mining regions most impacted by the adverse effects of the energy transition. Its goal is also to alleviate the unequal distribution of costs, ensuring strategic support for those facing the most significant challenges in the transition. The JTF can play a crucial role in balancing the economic impacts of the transition, preventing job destruction in affected regions and ensuring reskilling for new sectors.

The need to create this mechanism stems from the fact that the transition has a direct impact on society and individuals’ lives. Historical instances of significant restructuring have demonstrated that entire regions may reverse into poverty without adequate support. If not handled properly, these consequences may result in considerable regional inequality, leading to an unfair situation for the areas whose economy relies on heavy industries. Moreover, there is still a lack of understanding about the actual functioning and impacts of and mechanisms for occupational and sectorial reallocation, and the definition of indicators to monitor these initiatives.

The criticalities of the JTF prompt us to questions that we intend to address in the session:

1. How do the JTM and JTF ensure that the transition is inclusive and socially just for workers and communities affected by the shift away from fossil fuels?
2. How does the Just Transition Mechanism address the social and economic challenges faced by regions heavily dependent on fossil fuel industries or other environmentally harmful activities? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the JTM?
3. How will green reskilling work and which sectors will be involved first?
4. Which indicators may be important to monitor the development of JTM?
5. How do TTJPs interact with existing labour market policies and initiatives at the regional or national levels?

The session organized by the EAERE POC, in collaboration with the European University Institute under the ongoing CAPABLE project, intends to discuss the challenges posed by the possible reforms described above. In line with the aim of the EAERE POC (i.e. providing advice and support to EU policymakers and institutions in designing policy interventions), particular attention will be devoted to the most suitable policies that should be implemented to make these reforms feasible and effective.

The event intends to continue the series of policy dialogues carried out by the Policy Outreach Committee since 2019 in collaboration with the European University Institute at the State of the Union in Florence and at the past EAERE Annual Conferences.

Speakers:

• Xavier Labandeira, University of Vigo, ECOBAS and EAERE Policy Outreach Committee
• Simone Borghesi, EAERE President, European University Institute and University of Siena
• Iva Zverinova, Charles University
• Ilaria Dibattista, Florence School of Regulation, European University Institute and University of Siena
• Aldo Ravazzi, Italian Ministry of Environment & Energy Security and EAERE Policy Outreach Committee
• Tadhg O’Briain, DG Energy, European Commission

The session aims at discussing modalities and strategies to stimulate more economic research to be embedded in the IPCC 7th Assessment Cycle and more in general in IPCC processes, including covering research innovation gaps.

Chair: Simone Borghesi (EAERE President, European University Institute and University of Siena)

Speakers:

• Jos Delbeke (EAERE Policy Outreach Committee and European University Institute)
• Phoebe Koundouri (Athens University of Economics and Business and Denmark Technical University)
• Xavier Labandeira (EAERE Policy Outreach Committee and University of Vigo)
• Jan Minx (MCC Berlin)
• Massimo Tavoni (Politecnico di Milano and CMCC)
• Philippe Tulkens (EU Commission – DG Research and Innovation)

The video recording is available on YouTube.

United Nations Climate Change Global Innovation Hub Session at UNFCCC COP29 Baku
09:00-10:00 (GMT+4)

Concept note

The Mediterranean region needs localised innovation to tackle the climate and natural resource crises and best build resilient communities. Scientific, educational, and governance cooperation can foster radical solutions that offer collective resilience and wellbeing to meet its unique environmental challenges and opportunities. In this session speakers will draw on their extensive experience with research, climate governance, and cooperation organisations to tackle the practicalities of collaborative governance for shared scarce natural resources, collective climate and development issues, and systemic intersections with geopolitics in the Mediterranean region.

Speakers

• Carmen Arguedas, Former President of AERNA and Full Professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid
• Raja Chakir, Steering Committee of FAERE and Research Director at Paris Saclay Applied Economics, INRAE-AgroParisTech
• Shouro Dasgupta, Researcher at CMCC, Lecturer at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Visiting Senior Fellow at Grantham Research Institute (LSE)
• Aldo Ravazzi Douvan, Chief Economist at DG Sustainable Development, EU & International Relations of the Italian Ministry of Environment

Moderator

• Simone Borghesi, President of EAERE, Director FSR Climate – EUI and Vice Rector for International Relations University of Siena

Watch the session on COP29 YouTube Channel.

EAERE is glad to announce its official side event at UNFCCC COP29 co-organised with SUR Lab Bocconi University and Ferrara University. The event focus on “Design and promotion of integrated approaches for carbon neutral and resilient cities” and will be held on Thursday, 21 November 2024 at 13:15-14:45 (GMT+4) – Room SIDE EVENT 5.

The event will explore and compare innovative urban approaches to driving carbon neutrality and enhancing climate resilience, showcasing a diverse range of strategies from around the world. Initiatives will be evaluated through the lenses of governance, financial viability, and measurable impact, all within the framework of an equitable and just transition. Featuring case studies from both developing and developed countries, the session will provide valuable insights into how cities of various contexts are addressing the challenges of climate adaptation and mitigation. The event aims to foster dialogue on scalable solutions, collaborative policy frameworks, and the role of cross-sector partnerships in building climate-neutral and resilient cities.

Speakers
– Simone Borghesi, President of EAERE and Director FSR Climate – EUI
– Edoardo Croci, Director SUR Lab, Bocconi University
– Alina Koschmieder, Associate, UN-Habitat
– Massimiliano Mazzanti, Full professor, Ferrara University
– Joanna Mclean Masic, Program Leader for Planet, Infrastructure and Digital in EU Member States, The World bank
– Giorgia Rambelli, Director Mission Innovation Urban Transitions Mission, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy

Moderator
Benedetta Lucchitta, Research fellow SUR Lab, Bocconi University

Livestream on YouTube

COP 29 official website

In the 17th Episode of the CEPR/EAERE Webinar Series, on Monday 28 October 2024, from 4PM (CET), 11AM (EDT), and 3PM (GMT), Patrick Bolton (Imperial College London and CEPR) and Alissa M. Kleinnijenhuis (Cornell University, Imperial College London and CEPR) will present their paper “The Economic Case for Climate Finance at Scale”. The paper lays out the first economic case for scaling up climate finance from advanced countries to support EMDE decarbonization, particularly focusing on coal, the most polluting fossil fuel. With COP29 approaching and its agenda centered on setting a New Quantified Goal of Climate Finance (aiming to increase the $100 billion-a-year climate finance pledge to over $1 trillion a year), the paper’s findings are especially relevant. It empirically shows that large-scale climate finance is not only equitable but also economically beneficial for advanced economies.

The discussants, Geoffrey Heal (Columbia University and CEPR) and Lasse Heje Pedersen (Copenhagen Business School and CEPR), will provide complementary perspectives on the paper. Heal’s recent work on Blended Finance aligns with the presented paper’s focus on system-wide blended finance, while Pedersen’s research on Green Finance vs. Carbon Taxation, as explored in his CEPR VoxTalks Climate Finance podcast, finds that financial markets alone cannot achieve the necessary SCC. Pedersen’s paper is fundamental as it shows that green finance without government intervention cannot replicate a reasonable SCC, so if financial markets are to make a difference at the magnitude required to solve the climate crisis, system-wide public-private climate finance is likely important, which brings us back to The Economic Case for Climate Finance at Scale.

Click here to register.

For more information, check the invitation here.

The EAERE Policy Outreach event “Environment, Resources, and Cooperation in the Mediterranean“, in partnership with the University of Siena and the EUI, will take place on September 13, 2024 at 15:15-16:15 CEST in Pontignano, Siena (Italy) and will be streamed online.

The event is framed within the Vision Pontignano Conference on the Future of Europe 2024. The full agenda is available here.

Concept Note

Political borders and unions offer unparalleled opportunities for robust, integrated climate policy. The EU’s Green Deal, a suite of ambitious, largely binding, climate legislation is a prime example of this. However, they also artificially restrict the field of cooperation to within specific borders, a risky limitation in the face of notoriously cross-border climate impacts.

The EU’s Southern border with the Mediterranean is as relevant for climate futures as its Northern border with the Arctic, additionally layered with the social complexities of climate change, including resource conflicts, migration, energy access, and climate disasters. In the face of this, building on a rich history of Mediterranean cooperation and diversity, and on environmental economics cooperation around the world, we see ample scope for sustainable collective environmental progress. The University of Siena and Vision have long supported Mediterranean cooperation in research and development, most notably in Prime Minister Prodi’s advocacy of a Mediterranean University, and we are honored to support missions in this direction.

Chair

Simone Borghesi, Vice Rector for International Relations of the University of Siena, Director of the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) Climate at the European University Institute, and President of EAERE

Speakers

• Romano Prodi (Former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Italy),
• Valeria Costantini (Economics Department Director at Roma Tre and President of the Italian Association of Environmental and Resource Economists),
• Marcello Scalisi (Director of the Mediterranean Universities Union – UNIMED),
• Angelo Riccaboni (President of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area – PRIMA),
• Carmen Arguedas, (President of the Spanish-Portuguese Association of Natural and Environmental Resource Economics),
• Raja Chakir (Steering Committee of the French Association of Environmental and Resource Economists).

Online registration

If you are willing to follow the event online access this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84186643605.