{"id":28826,"date":"2017-12-05T00:01:48","date_gmt":"2017-12-05T00:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/?post_type=publication&p=28826"},"modified":"2024-08-19T14:28:16","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T13:28:16","slug":"credibility-european-unions-efforts-decarbonise-power-sector","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/credibility-european-unions-efforts-decarbonise-power-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"The credibility of the European Union\u2019s efforts to decarbonise the power sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The ability of EU member states to translate their commitments to decarbonise the power sector into concrete actions, in order to meet European and international objectives, has so far not been fully investigated. This report aims to fill this gap by assessing the credibility<\/em> of member states’ efforts in this area – with credibility of policy commitments defined as ‘the likelihood that policymakers will keep their promises to implement the pledges or policies they announce’. The analysis provides an initial comparative insight into seven key determinants of credibility of efforts to decarbonise the power sector and how these vary between countries.<\/p>\n

The report is one of the final outputs of the Statkraft policy research programme<\/a>, ‘“Fit-for-Purpose’ Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Policies for the European Union’, completed in December 2017. A final project report<\/a> summarises all of the main findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n

Headline issues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Further policies are needed for the EU to substantially reduce carbon emissions. National projections show that by 2030 greenhouse gas emissions will be only 26 per cent below 1990 levels, and therefore additional policies will be needed in order to achieve the objective of a 40 per cent cut. Decarbonising the power sector will be central to EU and national strategies.<\/p>\n

EU member states need a ‘credible’ approach for decarbonising their power sectors. This report argues that credible decarbonisation commitments require countries to have:<\/p>\n