While decent living is necessary - and crucial for the political acceptability of ecological transition strategies, the energy and material cost of needs satisfaction cannot be overlooked in the 21st century. In this context, favouring the harmony between human and natural systems may call for yet untried post-growth strategies. Likewise,...
Transition to net-zero carbon is not merely technical but a complex socio-political endeavour with significant trade-offs involving inequality, well-being, sustainability, and political acceptability. While significant progress has been made in understanding the biophysical dimensions of climate change, the socio-political aspects remain largely underexplored by assessment models. The Working Paper “Transitioning...
Setting countries across the globe on environmentally sustainable paths requires large-scale systemic changes across a range of areas, including energy systems, industrial systems and individual consumption patterns. Public policy plays a fundamental role in inducing such changes. Examples of policy instruments include different combinations of regulations, tax measures and subsidies...
Building a consensus on broader frameworks, metrics and accounts goes beyond simply agreeing on measurement issues: it calls for envisioning the new world we aspire to. Overcoming the addiction to GDP requires a collective commitment to broader well-being and sustainability. As argued in SPES Working Paper 3.3 by researchers from...
“Living well within planetary boundaries” is not just an aspiration but a core vision of the EU. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse accelerate, achieving this vision is increasingly urgent. Despite ambitious global frameworks, progress remains uneven. The Sustainable Human Development paradigm offers an integrated approach that balances...
As the European Union grapples with interlinked crises, sustainability offers a framework for balancing economic stability, social equity, and environmental resilience. Policymakers, in their effort to design effective regulations, businesses to adopt greener practices, can benefit greatly from understanding people attention towards sustainability. This attention is also a key factor...
"EU climate policies and justice: socio-economic impacts and pathways to equity" is the panel that SPES Consortium member EUI organised during the COP 29 in Baku on November 15th at the ILO Pavilion. The panel tried to answer to the following questions: how can we lessen the potential unequal effects...
"Synergies and Trade-offs of the sustainable transition: national level practices" is the 2° SPES Policy Dialogue organized in cooperation with TARKI Social Research Institute and the Hungarian National Council for Sustainable Development. The Policy Dialogue focuses on the key role played by Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils in several...
Energy poverty - i.e. a situation in which households are unable to access essential energy services and products - is a key concept of the just and fair transition towards climate neutrality. Over the past decade the European Union has increased its efforts in reducing energy poverty, however they remains...
The European and global institutions have recently developed numerous policies and laws addressing climate change mitigation. The SPES Report 7.1 "The functioning and socio-economic impacts of the EU Emissions Trading System: updated evidence and insights" analyse the functioning and socio-economic impact of a particular climate policy instrument, namely carbon pricing....
