Can climate laws help solve the climate crisis? Launch of a new study with evidence from Germany, Ireland and New Zealand

A video recording of this event in English is available here:

An audio recording of the French translation of this event is available here:

Nearly 60 countries around the world have introduced climate change framework laws, which establish the strategic direction for national climate change policy and strengthen institutional arrangements and accountability for climate action. There is growing acceptance in the policy community that such laws can be an effective tool for enhancing climate governance and enabling decarbonisation and climate resilience.

Do climate framework laws deliver on these expectations? What are the most impactful features of climate laws and where are the pitfalls based on experience?

This event, organised in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, launched a newly published report by the Grantham Research Institute that examines evidence of impacts from climate framework laws in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand. The report offers recommendations for design of new, or amendments to, existing framework laws, and their implementation.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with leading experts on climate policy and governance, and audience Q&A. The speakers shared practical insights on challenges with implementation, and key opportunities to address them.

Chair: Alina Averchenkova, LSE Grantham Research Institute

Presenters: Alina Averchenkova, Tiffanie Chan, Isabela Keuschnigg, LSE Grantham Research Institute

Panel speakers:

Kristen Green
Principal Advisor for the New Zealand Government on climate change issues (2019-2023) focused on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand’s agriculture and forestry sectors. From 2019-2022, she co-led negotiations of New Zealand’s world-first partnership with the agriculture sector and Māori that sought to design an effective carbon pricing system for agricultural emissions. She also served as chapter lead author for New Zealand’s 2022 Emissions Reduction Plan focused on the role of forestry removals as part of New Zealand’s climate transition.

Dr. Diarmuid Torney
Associate Professor in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University. His research focuses on climate change politics, policy, and governance. He is director of the DCU Centre for Climate and Society and chair of DCU’s MSc in Climate Change: Policy, Media and Society.