The landscape of climate finance is diverse and extensive. Public and private actors in projects for greenhouse gas emission reductions and climate resilience invest more than USD 300 billion per year. Scaled-up investments and leveraging of private finance are needed to stabilise global temperatures. This knowledge package gives an overview of the global climate finance landscape, with its sources, instruments,...Read more

Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive obliges Member States to develop an Energy Efficiency Obligation scheme or/and use alternative measures like energy certificates, minimum energy performance requirements etc. After 2012, Member States were obliged to report their planned measures through National Energy Efficiency Action Plans. This knowledge package provides an overview of how Member States have implemented the Article 7.Read more

Households remain one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector, due to their energy consumptions, with certain Member States having thrice or more the household emission footprint than others. The efforts carried out to minimize their emissions have brought certain results, but more actions are considered necessary. Improvement of households' energy efficiency is a...Read more

Based on first scientific insights on climate change, policy makers agreed in 1992 on a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since then, the UNFCCC has been the basis for climate negotiations with the Kyoto Protocol (1997), the Marrakech Accords (2001) and the Cancun Agreements (2010) as major milestones. This Knowledge Package explains how climate policy making has increasingly...Read more

Renewable energy support schemes need to be well designed in order to bring forth the desired outcome, not only regarding the achievement of targets (effectiveness) but also regarding the achievement at lowest costs possible (cost-effectiveness). This knowledge package focuses on the cost-effectiveness of renewable energy support schemes within the EU and highlights design features indispensable in creating cost-effective renewable support.Read more

Policies to address climate change mitigation that have been deployed in parallel may interact with each other, with positive or negative effects for emission reductions and for cost-effectiveness. This Knowledge Package presents examples from European Union climate policy, renewable energy policy and energy efficiency policy.Read more

Within the EU-28, transport is responsible for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, rendering it the second largest emitting sector after the energy industry. Emissions from transport have also grown by 19% from 1990 to 2011. In order to turn this trend around and accomplish the corresponding emission targets, the EU has designed and implemented a series of measures, including...Read more

It is essential to consider the social aspects that influence the acceptance of climate-friendly technologies, such as renewable energy. Five elements are thought to determine the level of acceptance: awareness of climate change; fairness of the decision-making process; the overall evaluation of costs, risks and benefits; the local context; and trust in decision-makers.Read more

There has been considerable progress until 2013 towards the EU’s 2020 climate objective of a 20% reduction. Both, the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-ETS sectors have contributed to the development, especially renewable energy deployment. Part of the progress has to be attributed to the emissions reductions triggered by the economic crisis. Member States have also introduced climate policies that...Read more