Green Deal - Big Deal?

In the finale of "Green Deal – Big Deal?" Season 1 we dive deep into EU ETS2, the EU's expanded emissions trading system, now encompassing buildings and transport.

Hosts Ewa Iwaszuk and Aaron Best are joined by Sibyl Steuwer from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe and Matthias Duwe of the Ecologic Institute to discuss the complexities of integrating buildings and transport into the EU’s emissions trading system, exploring the challenges and opportunities this expansion presents.

In the conversation, we unpack the concept of emissions trading, a market-based mechanism to determine a price for carbon through the trading of emission permits. Our guests explain the importance of complementary policies alongside the ETS to ensure effective decarbonization of the building and transport sectors – including reducing harmful subsidies, getting rid of polluting options and technologies, and creating attractive alternatives to switch to. The discussion addresses the fragmented nature of the building sector, the investment hurdles, and the necessity of aligning incentives for property owners and tenants to foster energy-efficient renovations and construction. We ask our guests about the Social Climate Fund and its potential to mitigate some of the equity concerns accompanying the rollout of ETS2.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Big Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

In this episode of "Green Deal – Big Deal?", we tackle the complex world of natural resources, a topic that underpins many aspects of Europe's ambition for a green future.

In conversation with guests Janez Potočnik, Co-chair of the International Resources Panel, and Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General of DG Environment, hosts Aaron Best and Ewa Iwaszuk discuss how the use of natural resources is closely linked to the climate and biodiversity crises, highlighting the global nature of resource use and its impacts.

The episode touches on the European Green Deal's approach to resource management, emphasizing the need for a systemic perspective that considers the interconnectedness of resource use, environmental impacts, and economic activity. Florika Fink-Hooijer shares her views on the importance of understanding the links between climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource depletion and advocates for sustainable and efficient resource use and extraction as a means to tackle these interconnected challenges.

The conversation also explores the European Union's role in leading global resource policy and the circular economy. We discuss the geopolitical and economic implications of resource scarcity, the importance of resilience and sustainability in policy making, and the potential of the European Green Deal to inspire global action towards a more sustainable use of resources. Finally, the episode addresses the critical role of global cooperation in managing resources, highlighting the need for policies that support sustainable development and ensure that resource use is aligned with environmental goals.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Big Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

In this episode of "Green Deal – Big Deal?" we discuss what mud houses, 3D printers and beauty have to do with Europe’s journey to becoming a climate-neutral continent.

Specifically, we speak with Alina Ujupan, part of the team behind the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus Initiative, and Edouard Cabay, winner of a recent New European Bauhaus prize for… Spain’s first 3D printed building using earth.

The New European Bauhaus Initiative integrates science, technology, art, culture and community participation to propose a sustainable, beautiful, and inclusive future for the European Union. Our guests discuss with hosts Ewa Iwaszuk and Aaron Best the critical role of creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing environmental and social challenges, highlighting the initiative's impact on urban and community development, policy, and investment in sustainable projects.

The episode explores the significance of the New European Bauhaus in addressing environmental and social challenges, the role of innovative building techniques in sustainable architecture, and the importance of community involvement in the green transformation process. Our guests explain the power of creative thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration in tackling some of the most pressing challenges of our time and discuss how a blend of high-tech and low-tech solutions, coupled with a focus on local materials and community engagement, can lead to groundbreaking advancements in sustainable living and architecture.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

What does Just Transition really mean?

In this episode, we dive into the multifaceted nature of Just Transition, covering its environmental, economic, social, and political aspects. Podcast hosts Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best of Ecologic Institute are joined by guests Frank Siebern-Thomas, Head of Fair Green and Digital Transitions, Research Unit in DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission, and Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation.

Our guests help us explore the concept of Just Transition, unpacking the concept itself and discussing the transition needs of workers and citizens across the EU. Listen in to hear about recent success stories, discover the key challenges, and learn more about the Just Transition policies taking shape in the EU and its Member States.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

The renewables race is on!

Utility-scale solar photovoltaics and onshore wind are now the cheapest sources of new power in most countries, and according to a 2022 report by the International Energy Agency, renewables will account for over 90% of global electricity expansion over the next five years.

These dramatic decreases in the price of wind and solar have pushed renewables from being also-rans to being front and center in the race to carbon neutrality. The EU now aims to achieve 42.5% of energy from renewables by 2040, with the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive providing the key framework for accelerating the adoption of renewable energy to meet that target.

It’s a lot to keep track of, and the energy crisis stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine has only strengthened the EU’s resolve to shift to renewables by adding compelling energy-security arguments for reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports. To bring “Green Deal – Big Deal?” listeners up to date on this rapidly evolving topic, hosts Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best of Ecologic Institute are joined by Professor Johan Lilliestam of the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) and Dr. Andrzej Ancygier of Climate Analytics.

In the discussion, our expert guests shed light on the past, present and future of renewables in the EU, describing the major market shifts, policy events and technological developments that have made renewable energy one of the most exciting facets of achieving sustainability in Europe. What are the most interesting new technologies? Why are grids so important? What surprising bottlenecks are emerging within this fast-paced transition and how can they be addressed? Tune in for answers to these and other questions.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

Our planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis. And the problem across the EU is also severe, with more than 80% of habitats in the EU now in a bad or poor conservation status. To reverse this alarming trend, the European Commission has proposed the Nature Restoration Law, which aims to restore at least 20% of EU land and sea by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050.

The proposed law sets specific nature recovery targets and timelines for achieving them. According to the draft law, EU countries would need to submit National Restoration Plans to show how they plan to deliver against the targets. Country plans would be based in their national circumstance. Jointly, these country plans would restore ecosystem services beneficial to human society across the EU and aid the recovery of sensitive habitats like peatlands, grasslands, dunes and wetlands.

With the proposal now on the negotiating table, the conversation of how to address nature’s decline is heating up. As the European Commission, EU member states and European Parliament debate the specifics, some economic actors are actively lining up against the plan.

In the latest “Green Deal – Big Deal?” podcast episode, the hosts Ricarda Faber and Aaron Best from Ecologic Institute speak with interview guests Humberto Delgado Rosa (Director for Biodiversity at the European Commission) and Sabien Leemans (Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer for WWF). We discuss the decline of nature in the EU, the reasons to protect biodiversity, and the current political debate that could decide the fate of the Nature Restoration Law and the species it seeks to protect.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

Air pollution has been a long-standing environmental problem in Europe. Though significant progress has been made, over 90% of the EU’s urban population is still exposed to air pollution levels exceeding the science-based guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The fight for better air quality in the EU is not over – and it’s a battle in which citizens can take an active part.

In October 2022, the Commission proposed major revisions to its air quality rules, bringing them more in line with WHO guidelines. The changes are part of the EU’s zero pollution vision for 2050 to reduce air, water and soil pollution to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems. However, air pollution levels remain significant with particularly high levels in some countries and particularly bad health effects for some groups, such as small children and the elderly. The struggle to address this has even taken the form of legal battles that aim to enable those harmed by air pollution to sue local, regional and national governments for their right to clean air.

In the latest “Green Deal – Big Deal?” podcast episode, the hosts Ewa Iwaszuk and Aaron Best from Ecologic Institute speak with interview guests Margherita Tolotto (Senior Policy Officer for Air and Noise at the European Environmental Bureau) and Agnieszka Warso-Buchanan (Senior Lawyer in ClientEarth). We discuss the problem of air pollution, the important role that lawsuits have played in forcing action, the current effort to bring the law in line with the science – and what citizens can do to have their voices heard in this debate.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

The journey to net-zero emissions requires thousands of different policy interventions at all sorts of different times and across all sectors. Similarly, an orchestra is made up of many different instruments - all of which have to play the same tune at the right time! The conductor makes sure that all these different instruments do exactly that. Likewise, a governance framework plays that role in climate policy: it makes sure that all the policies are playing the same tune, working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect and restore nature.

Of course, there are many questions associated with governance of the European Green Deal: What does governance mean and how does it play out in the EU context? Why is it important to consider viewpoints, ideas and needs from different social groups, stakeholders and scientific experts when designing policies – and how to do it? What is the difference between binding instruments, such as laws and non-binding ones, such as strategies? And why are non-binding initiatives still valuable in influencing EU governance landscape?

In the latest “Green Deal – Big Deal?” podcast episode, the hosts Ewa Iwaszuk and Nick Evans from Ecologic Institute discuss these questions, together with their interview guests Claire Dupont (University of Ghent) and Sharon Turner (independent expert associated with European Climate Foundation and University of Sussex). The two guests explain their understanding of EU governance, how it has evolved over the years, and its crucial role in shaping Europe’s future.

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Bid Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website or follow us on Instagram at @greendealbigdeal.

How do we classify which investments are the right ones to power the transition to a climate and nature-friendly economy? This is a pretty big question, and one that is crucial to a successful implementation of the European Green Deal. The EU taxonomy – the subject of our latest episode - specifies the various criteria that investments will need to fulfill to be considered sustainable. In practice, the taxonomy is a long list of economic activities with benchmark performance standards.

But how do we guarantee that these investments actually achieve what they are set out to do? How do we ensure that we don’t finance activities that support one goal, such as climate change mitigation, but harm our ability to achieve others (e.g. reversing biodiversity loss)? And how is the EU taxonomy implemented in practice? In the latest “Green Deal – Big Deal?” podcast episode, the hosts Ewa Iwaszuk and co-host Aaron Best from Ecologic Institute discuss these questions, together with their interview guests Ben Allen (Research Director at the Institute for European Environmental Policy) and Nicole Kramer (Sustainability Analyst at Greenomy).

Find out more about the "Green Deal - Big Deal?" podcast and webinar series on our website.

The production of this episode was additionally supported by Stiftung Mercator.

Since we learned how to produce plastic, humans have manufactured more than 8.3 billion tons of it – most of which ended up as a waste product, somewhere on the planet. This leads plastic waste to enter the landscape, rivers, beaches, and eventually ocean. We asked our listeners what, in their opinion, is the issue with plastic pollution. The answers ranged from negative impacts on human health and the environment to lack of recycling infrastructure and the global dimension of the plastics problem.

So how can we possibly address a problem of this size? In the latest “Green Deal – Big Deal?” podcast episode, the host Ewa Iwaszuk and a guest co-host Linda Mederake from Ecologic Institute try to get to the bottom of the problem of plastic pollution, together with their interview guests Frieder Rubik (Institute for Ecological Economic Research) and Jean-Pierre Schweitzer (European Environmental Bureau) who share interesting information and perspectives regarding plastic pollution.

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