Routledge publishes: EU Climate Policy Explained

This newly published book, edited by Jos Delbeke and Peter Vis, was written to explain the EU’s climate policies in an accessible way. The book demonstrates 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 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.

EU Climate Policy Explained 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 covering the EU’s emissions trading system, the energy sector and other economic sectors, including their development in the context of international climate policy.

The book’s authors and editors are uniquely placed in that they are the very people most responsible for the development and implementation of EU climate policy.

Jos Delbeke has been the Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action since its creation in 2010. 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).

For more information on EU Climate Policy Explained, please click here.