Energy & Climate

Blog Post

Standing on the shoulders of distant giants

New inventions build on earlier inventions, so patent citations are one indication of who is standing on whose shoulders. We show that four low-carbon technologies (wind, solar, electric vehicles and batteries) exhibit markedly different patterns of citation behaviour. If technology spillovers are structurally different between sectors, this could imply that policies to support innovation clusters would need different approaches. Differentiated policies could range from promoting individual champions for technologies with strong internal spillovers, to supporting regional eco-systems for technologies with more fuzzy spillovers.

By: Fabio Matera and Georg Zachmann Topic: Energy & Climate, Innovation & Competition Policy Date: May 23, 2017

Upcoming Event

Jun
22
13:00

Renewing the 2050 Roadmap

The objective of this brainstorm session is to explore how we can improve the quality and the impact of the revisited 2050 Roadmap, set the agenda for revising it, increase ownership of it and analyze the methodological basis of the 2050 Roadmap.

Speakers: Georg Zachmann Topic: Energy & Climate Location: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Brussels

Opinion

Is the EastMed gas pipeline just another EU pipe dream?

Is the EastMed pipeline really a feasible project? The answer to this question is not simple, but the EastMed plan sounds unconvincing.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: May 10, 2017

Blog Post

Global decarbonisation: a wake-up call for the Middle East and North Africa

Many countries in the MENA region are heavily dependent on oil and gas for exports and taxes. But global decarbonisation could undermine revenues, even though MENA exports are globally competitive. This threatens the MENA region's social contract, so economic diversification needs to start now.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: April 11, 2017

Working Paper

The political economy of Middle East and North Africa oil exporters in times of global decarbonisation

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) oil exporting countries are still not adequately equipped to prosper in a decarbonising world. Decarbonisation should therefore represent an incentive for MENA oil exporters to pursue structural processes of transition from rentier to production states.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: April 11, 2017

Policy Brief

The carbon buyers’ club: international emissions trading beyond Paris

The effort to define rules for international emissions trading faces the strong desire of nation states to develop their own climate policies, which collides with the need for tradable units in one country to be equivalent to tradable units in another country. To overcome this dilemma Georg Zachmann proposes a club of carbon-buying countries that would regulate only imported mitigation outcomes.

By: Georg Zachmann Topic: Energy & Climate Date: April 4, 2017

External Publication

Securing the Energy Union: five pillars and five regions - Southern Europe

As a part of a publication on energy security, Simone Tagliapietra looks at the countries of southern Europe: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: March 30, 2017

Blog Post

The EU antitrust case: no big deal for Gazprom

Earlier this week, the European Commission presented the draft compromise reached with Gazprom regarding the antitrust case launched in April. Simone Tagliapietra argues that Gazprom has no reason to break the commitments made in the draft compromise, since they are well-aligned with its own interests.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: March 15, 2017

Past Event

Trump’s energy policy: America first, climate last?

This event seeked to discuss the potential way forward for the US energy and climate policy, and its implications for both global energy markets and global climate change mitigation efforts.

Speakers: Kristine Berzina, Tim Boersma, Connie Hedegaard, Simone Tagliapietra and Zhang Xumin Topic: Energy & Climate Location: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Brussels Date: March 7, 2017

Blog Post

Trump’s Energy Policy: America First, Climate Last?

What will the new US administration mean for the fight against global warming? Climate change is not even mentioned in the ‘‘America First Energy Plan’’, and Simone Tagliapietra fears a reversal of recent positive steps.

By: Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: February 28, 2017

Blog Post

Brexit goes nuclear: The consequences of leaving Euratom

The UK Government has confirmed that it will withdraw from Euratom. But what does Euratom actually do? And what will happen when the UK leaves? The authors find major risks, potential costs and open questions.

By: Enrico Nano and Simone Tagliapietra Topic: Energy & Climate Date: February 21, 2017

Past Event

Different perspectives on Nord Stream II

At this event, we bruoght together key-experts that studied the regulatory and economic aspects of Nord Stream II

Speakers: Severin Fischer, Siobhan Hall, Alan Riley, Szymon Polak, Sebastian Sass, Simon Schulte, Borbála Takácsné Tóth and Georg Zachmann Topic: Energy & Climate Location: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Brussels Date: February 21, 2017