EU Climate Policy Explained

The EU has been the region of the world where the most climate policies have been implemented, and where practical policy experimentation in the field of the environment and climate change has been taking place at a rapid pace over the last twenty-five years. This has led to considerable success in reducing pollution, decoupling emissions from economic growth and fostering global technological leadership.

The objective of the book is to explain the EU's climate policies in an accessible way, to demonstrate the step-by-step approach that has been used to develop these policies, and the ways in which they have been tested and further improved in the light of experience. The book shows that there is no single policy instrument that can bring down greenhouse gas emissions, but the challenge has been to put a jigsaw of policy instruments together that is coherent, delivers emissions reductions, and is cost-effective. The book differs from existing books by the fact it covers the EU's emissions trading system, the energy sector and other economic sectors, including their development in the context of international climate policy.

Set against the backdrop of the 2015 UN Climate Change conference in Paris, this accessible book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policy makers alike.

Jos Delbeke has been the Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Climate Action since its creation in 2010 (ongoing). He holds a Ph.D. in economics (Louvain, 1986) and lectures at the University of Louvain, Belgium, on European and international environmental policy.

Peter Vis is the EU Visiting Fellow at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford (UK), for the academic year 2014–2015. Prior to that he was Head of Cabinet to Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action (2010–2014). He has an MA (history) from the University of Cambridge (UK).