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greenhouse gas emissions

Knowledge Package

The Role of Industrial Emissions Within the EU: Trends and Policy

The Role of Industrial Emissions Within the EU: Trends and Policy
Greenhouse gas emissions generated by industrial activity constitute a significant share of total emissions in the EU. The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is the cornerstone of policies leading to reduction of industrial emissions, supplemented by regulation to prevent fluorinated gases. Industry fears a high burden under the proposed 2030 targets and actively opposes them.Read more
Knowledge Package

Non-Market-Based Climate Policy Instruments

Non-Market-Based Climate Policy Instruments
European climate policies apply a mix of different policy instruments to impose emissions reductions. Main instrument categories include non-market-based and market-based instruments. This knowledge package introduces the workings of non-market-based instruments currently part of the EU’s climate policy toolbox.Read more
Knowledge Package

Carbon Leakage and Industrial Innovation

Carbon Leakage and Industrial Innovation
Carbon leakage is defined as an increase of emissions outside the EU because of EU climate policies. As such policies affect the costs of economic activity, especially in energy intensive industries, they might cause companies to move production to countries with laxer greenhouse gas emission policies. Therefore, affected industries receive benefits, such as more free emission allowances in the EU...Read more
Knowledge Package

The Global Rise of Emissions Trading

The Global Rise of Emissions Trading
An increasing number of countries and regions around the world are developing and implementing emissions trading as a way of putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions. This knowledge package gives an overview of such systems, compares design features and giving an outlook on future developments.Read more
Knowledge Package

International Ambition on Targets for the Post-2020 Era

International Ambition on Targets for the Post-2020 Era
The international community is negotiating a post-2020 framework for global climate action. The UNFCCC meeting concluded with such a framework of increasing emissions reduction commitments beyond 2020. Countries are likely to attach their new post-2020 commitments to the international agreement made at this time. The role of the European Union, USA and China is crucial, given that their emissios comprise...Read more
Knowledge Package

Mitigation: Co-Benefits and Interlinkages to Adaptation

Mitigation: Co-Benefits and Interlinkages to Adaptation
Climate mitigation is a popular strategy to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Various options are available for both mitigation policy and technology measures, providing enough economic potential to offset the projected emissions growth. It is crucial for policymakers to be aware of possible side effects, such as co-benefits and interlinkages to adaptation, to pursue a cost-effective implementation...Read more
Knowledge Package

Household Contribution to Buildings' Carbon Footprint

Fotolia © Brian Jackson
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
Knowledge Package

History of the UN Climate Negotiations - Part 1 - from the 1980's to 2010

Flickr © Takver
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
Knowledge Package

The European Climate Policy Mix

Fotolia © krasyuk
To realise the savings aimed at with the 20-20-20% targets for 2020, the European Union has introduced a mix of climate policies, using a variety of policy instruments and targeting all economic sectors. The different policies have fulfilled their purpose with varying success and different performances regarding environmental and cost effectiveness, as well as additional impacts on society. Read more
Knowledge Package

Are Transport Emissions "Mobilizing" an EU Policy Response?

Fotolia © bibi
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
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The Climate Policy Info Hub has been created within the POLIMP project which has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant Agreement Number 603847.

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