Energy & climate
Europe needs both fiscal and energy solidarity
14 March 2023
EU governments should curb energy subsidies and raise support for clean energy investment. The EU should expand common borrowing to fund green investment: this would accelerate the energy transition.
How to save energy in a smarter way
14 November 2022
Reducing energy demand can help Europe cope with high energy prices. Consumers need more than pleas to save energy: governments need to provide a mix of prompts, advice and rewards.
In defence of borrowing for climate action
13 October 2022
Even though interest rates are rising globally, European governments should still borrow large sums to finance green projects. In some cases, the EU should help.
The EU's energy plan for a difficult winter: What are the options?
09 September 2022
The European Commission’s new plan aims to cut electricity use to reduce prices and possible blackouts; to extract some of the windfall profits of energy companies; and to curb Russia’s gas revenues.
The impact of the Ukraine war on global energy markets
14 July 2022
Instability in world energy markets will continue beyond the war in Ukraine. Europe will be less dependent on Russia’s fossil fuels, but a weakened Russia could still cause problems.
A G7 energy tariff on Russia would be better than a price cap
11 July 2022
A price cap on Russian oil would cut Russia’s income, but a tariff would help governments support households and businesses dealing with high energy prices.
How to make EU fiscal rules compatible with net zero
09 May 2022
EU governments will have to invest a lot more to meet 2030 emissions targets. Fiscal rules exemptions and more EU funding are needed to ensure Europe reaches its climate goals without political crises.
The EU emissions trading system after the energy price spike
04 April 2022
EU emissions trading needs an upgrade: the EU should tighten the cap on emissions more rapidly, expand to road transport and buildings, and spend higher revenues on subsidising green investment.
High energy prices threaten the EU emissions trading system
23 March 2022
EU member-states should not stop the expansion of emissions trading to keep a lid on energy prices. Instead, they should increase income support for poorer households and incentives for green investment.
How to make the new emissions trading system work for consumers
04 March 2022
Extending the Emissions Trading System to buildings and road transport can cut emissions and help poor households if all revenues are devoted to income support and green investment.
How carbon pricing can decarbonise European heavy industry
13 January 2022
To decarbonise heavy industry, the EU needs a high and stable carbon price, an end to free emission permits, a level-playing field with foreign competitors, and support for green investment.
Why the EU's recovery fund should be permanent
11 November 2021
The recovery fund will raise growth, and member-states’ investments and reforms are largely the right ones. But to make a big difference to climate change, the fund needs to be permanent and much larger.
Why have Europe's energy prices spiked and what can the EU do about them?
28 October 2021
Europeans’ skyrocketing energy bills are not primarily Russia’s fault, though it is capitalising on Europe’s vulnerability.
The 'Fit for 55' climate proposals explained
27 July 2021
The costs of the Commission’s proposals to meet the EU’s 2030 climate goals need to be distributed in a more progressive way.
Avoiding the pitfalls of an EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
05 July 2021
A leaked draft of the EU’s CBAM regulation provides fresh insights into what the Commission plans to do. But it also raises a number of tricky questions.
How to decarbonise EU road transport without summoning the gilets jaunes
19 May 2021
Extending carbon pricing to road transport will initially make driving more expensive, hurting poorer households.
The EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism: How to make it work for developing countries
22 April 2021
The EU should exempt developing country exports from its CBAM to avoid unfairly penalising countries that have contributed a much smaller share of cumulative global carbon emissions.
The EU budget needs climate-proofing
04 November 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions from Europe’s farms have been flat since 2005. The Common Agricultural Policy, which consumes 37 per cent of the EU’s budget, subsidises a sector that needs to clean up its act.
Should the EU tax imported CO2?
24 September 2019
An EU carbon border tax would be tricky to design, costly to implement and sure to provoke legal challenges. But if done properly there are reasons to think it could succeed.
Moving back the finishing line: The EU's progress on climate
23 September 2019
European leaders’ aim to go carbon neutral by 2050 will not happen without much tougher emissions curbs by 2030, and a sizeable increase in research and development funding.