The Role of public Financing in Reaching Climate Neutrality

<abstract> <p>The contribution focuses on the role of cities in the implementation of the so-called Green Deal, the ambitious program proposed by the European Commission, in accordance with the objectives set by the Paris Agreements, to implement the use of clean energy resources, favour the circular economy, restore biodiversity and reduce pollution. The Plan, which for the seven-year period 2021-2027 has a budget of economic resources of 100 billion Euro, aims to involve in transcalar perspective all territorial and administrative levels of the Member States and thus contribute to the achievement, in 2050, of climate neutrality. The main objective of the work is then to concentrate, with descriptive intent, on the policies that, in Italy, are being activated at local level in coherence with the European perspectives. In particular, reference will be made to the initiatives proposed and sponsored in Italy by the Committee of the Regions of which a critical overview is proposed. A further reflection will be dedicated to how digital innovation is called to support the macro-policies of energy transition in the EU.</p> </abstract>

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GOBLIN: A land-balance model to identify national agriculture and land use pathways to climate neutrality via backcasting

10.5194/gmd-2021-228 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Colm Duffy ◽

Remi Prudhomme ◽

Brian Duffy ◽

James Gibbons ◽

Cathal O'Donoghue ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Management Strategies ◽

National Level ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Paris Agreement ◽

Forest Growth ◽

Biophysical Model ◽

Balance Model ◽

Climate Neutrality

Abstract. The Paris Agreement commits 197 countries to achieve climate stabilisation at a global average surface temperature less than 2 °C above pre-industrial times, using nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to demonstrate progress vis-à-vis this goal. Numerous industrialised economies have targets to achieve territorial climate neutrality by 2050, primarily in the form of “net zero” greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, particular uncertainty remains over the role of countries’ agriculture, forestry and land use (AFOLU) sectors for numerous reasons, inter alia: the need to balance mitigation of difficult-to-abate agricultural emissions against food security; agriculture emissions of methane do not need to be reduced to zero to achieve climate stabilisation; land use should be a large net sink globally to offset residual emissions. These issues are represented at a coarse level in integrated assessment models (IAMS) that indicate the role of AFOLU in global pathways towards climate stabilisation. However, there is an urgent need to determine appropriate AFOLU management strategies at national level within NDCs. Here, we present a new model designed to evaluate detailed AFOLU scenarios at national scale, using the example of Ireland where 34 % of national GHG emissions originate from AFOLU. GOBLIN (General Overview for a Back-casting approach of Livestock Intensification) is designed to run randomised scenarios of agricultural activities and land use combinations in 2050 within biophysical constraints (e.g. available land area, livestock productivities, fertiliser-driven grass yields and forest growth rates). Based on AFOLU emission factors used for national GHG inventory reporting, GOBLIN then calculates annual GHG emissions out to 2050 for each scenario. The long-term dynamics of forestry are represented up to 2120, so that scenarios can also be evaluated against the Paris Agreement commitment to achieve a balance between emissions and removals over the second half of this century. We outline the rationale and methodology behind the development of this biophysical model intended to provide robust evidence on the biophysical linkages across food production, GHG emissions and carbon sinks at national level. We then demonstrate how GOBLIN can be applied to evaluate different scenarios in relation to a few possible simple definitions of “climate neutrality”, discussing opportunities and limitations.

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Enabling strategies for mixed-used PEDs: energy efficiency between smart cities and Industry 4.0

TECHNE - Journal of Technology for Architecture and Environment ◽

10.36253/techne-10594 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 170-180

Author(s):

Andrea Boeri ◽

Saveria Olga Murielle Boulanger ◽

Giulia Turci ◽

Serena Pagliula

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Industry 4.0 ◽

Smart Cities ◽

Positive Energy ◽

Existing Buildings ◽

Strategic Actions ◽

European Projects ◽

Climate Neutrality ◽

The City

The Green Deal places at the centre of its policies the need to act in order to achieve climate neutrality goals by 2050. In this context, the role of cities and, in particular, of already existing buildings is relevant. Although they are responsible for 40% of energy consumption, only 1% are involved in major restructuring processes. In the context of smart city strategies and to improve their performances, Europe proposes various approaches such as Positive Energy Districts and Industry 4.0. This paper analyses case studies and innovative European projects with the aim of identifying the most relevant strategic actions. Eventually, it presents a real case in the city of Bologna as a basepoint for the reflection proposed.

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The potential role of forest management in Swedish scenarios towards climate neutrality by mid century

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2016.07.015 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 383 ◽

pp. 73-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Olivia Cintas ◽

Göran Berndes ◽

Julia Hansson ◽

Bishnu Chandra Poudel ◽

Johan Bergh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Potential Role ◽

Climate Neutrality

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Pareto-Improving Campaign Finance Policy

The American Economic Review ◽

10.1257/0002828041464443 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 94 (3) ◽

pp. 628-655 ◽

Cited By ~ 120

Author(s):

Stephen Coate

Keyword(s):

Interest Groups ◽

Campaign Finance ◽

Campaign Contributions ◽

Public Financing ◽

Finance Policy ◽

Pareto Improving ◽

Campaign Advertising ◽

Contribution Limits

This paper argues that campaign finance policy, in the form of contribution limits and matching public financing, can be Pareto improving even under very optimistic assumptions concerning the role of campaign advertising and the rationality of voters. The optimistic assumptions are that candidates use campaign contributions to convey truthful information to voters about their qualifications for office and that voters update their beliefs rationally on the basis of the information they have seen.The argument also assumes that campaign contributions are provided by interest groups and that candidates can offer to provide policy favors to attract higher contributions.

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Public-private mix and performance of health care systems in CEE and CIS countries

Oeconomia Copernicana ◽

10.12775/oec.2016.011 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 169 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Błażej Łyszczarz

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Private Sector ◽

Health Systems ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Public Financing ◽

The Public ◽

Care Systems ◽

Cis Countries ◽

Public Private Mix

The role of the public and private sector in health care systems remains one of the crucial problems of these systems' operation. The purpose of this research is to identify the relationships between the performance of health systems in CEE and CIS (Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent State) countries, and the mix of public-private sector in the health care of these countries. The study uses a zero unitarization method to construct three measures of health system performance in the following areas: (1) resources; (2) services; and (3) health status. The values of these measures are correlated with the share of public financing that represents the public-private mix in the health systems. The data used is from World Health Organization’s Health for All Database for 23 CEE and CIS countries and comprises the year 2010. The results show that the performance of health systems in the countries investigated is positively associated with a higher proportion of public financing. The strongest relationship links public financing with performance in the area of services production. For policy makers, these results imply that health systems in post-communist transition economies could be susceptible to a decreasing role of the state and that growing reliance on the market mechanism in health care can deteriorate the operation of these systems.

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A Breath of Fresh Air for the European Green Deal: Energy Efficiency and Climate Neutrality Factors

10.7250/9789934226809 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Reinis Āzis

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Local Level ◽

Energy System ◽

System Transformation ◽

Climate Targets ◽

Multiple Threads ◽

Climate Transition ◽

Climate Neutrality

The topics covered and the research framework as such provide multiple level takeaways regarding energy efficiency and climate neutrality. The research, therefore, elaborates on concepts central to the academic debate at the time of the writing and undercuts patterns and proposals relevant for multiple actors within the local and global energy market. In fact, the research develops broader discussion regarding any strategic energy-efficiency related goal and the complexity and multiple threads that meeting such a goal would entail. The research also explicitly elaborates on the role of energy efficiency in both climate transition and energy system transformation. In addition, it uncovers the scope of various policies implemented on a local level and discusses their role in meeting the climate targets in medium and long-term. Furthermore, the research also elaborates on the role of bioeconomy and climate neutrality.

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Research and development, productive structure and economic effects: Assessing the role of public financing in Brazil

Economic Modelling ◽

10.1016/j.econmod.2020.04.017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 90 ◽

pp. 235-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Admir Antonio Betarelli Junior ◽

Weslem Rodrigues Faria ◽

Rosa Livia Gonçalves Montenegro ◽

Domitila Santos Bahia ◽

Eduardo Gonçalves

Keyword(s):

Research And Development ◽

Economic Effects ◽

Public Financing ◽

Productive Structure

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The Role of BECCS in Achieving Climate Neutrality in the European Union

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14237842 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (23) ◽

pp. 7842

Author(s):

Igor Tatarewicz ◽

Michał Lewarski ◽

Sławomir Skwierz ◽

Vitaliy Krupin ◽

Robert Jeszke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Carbon Capture ◽

Large Scale ◽

Carbon Capture And Storage ◽

Electricity Production ◽

The European Union ◽

Climate Neutrality ◽

And Storage ◽

The Eu

The achievement of climate neutrality in the European Union by 2050 will not be possible solely through a reduction in fossil fuels and the development of energy generation from renewable sources. Large-scale implementation of various technologies is necessary, including bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), carbon capture and storage (CCS), and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), as well as industrial electrification, the use of hydrogen, the expansion of electromobility, low-emission agricultural practices, and afforestation. This research is devoted to an analysis of BECCS as a negative emissions technology (NET) and the assessment of its implementation impact upon the possibility of achieving climate neutrality in the EU. The modelling approach utilises tools developed within the LIFE Climate CAKE PL project and includes the MEESA energy model and the d-PLACE CGE economic model. This article identifies the scope of the required investment in generation capacity and the amount of electricity production from BECCS necessary to meet the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets in the EU, examining the technology’s impact on the overall system costs and marginal abatement costs (MACs). The modelling results confirm the key role of BECCS technology in achieving EU climate goals by 2050.

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The European Council, the Council, and the European Green Deal

Politics and Governance ◽

10.17645/pag.v9i3.4326 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 348-359 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jeffrey Rosamond ◽

Claire Dupont

Keyword(s):

Policy Development ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

European Council ◽

Environmental Turbulence ◽

The European Union ◽

Net Zero ◽

Core Elements ◽

Historical Role ◽

Climate Neutrality

We assess the response of the European Council and the Council of the European Union (hereafter the Council) to the emergence and development of the European Green Deal (EGD). First, we conduct a literature review of the historical role of the two intergovernmental institutions in EU climate policy development, drawing inspiration from new intergovernmentalism, historical institutionalism, and discursive institutionalism. Next, we provide an overview of the EGD itself and three of its core elements: (1) the ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050; (2) its systemic and integrative nature; and (3) the just transition approach. We then present the results of a qualitative content analysis of all Council and European Council Conclusions from 2018 to 2020. Our findings show that the European Council and the Council have declared support for the EGD and its underlying principles. The European Council engaged with all three elements but mentioned the objective of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 most frequently and with growing intensity over the years studied. The Council similarly discussed the three elements of the EGD and gave increasing focus to the integrated/systemic transition over the course of the years 2018–2020. Our empirical analysis suggests that, on paper, the Council and the European Council may manage to govern through the organisational turbulence of member state divisions on climate governance. Furthermore, environmental turbulence arising from external contexts (e.g., economic and health crises) did not dampen their declared support towards the goals of the EGD.

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