IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2021i5p1347-d508706.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Post COVID-19 Recovery and 2050 Climate Change Targets: Changing the Emphasis from Promotion of Renewables to Mandated Curtailment of Fossil Fuels in the EU Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Kyriakos Maniatis

    (Independent Expert, 1650 Beersel, Belgium)

  • David Chiaramonti

    (“Galileo Ferraris” Energy Department, Polytechnic of Turin, 10129 Turin, Italy)

  • Eric van den Heuvel

    (Studio Gear Up, 1019 Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The present work considers the dramatic changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the global economy, with particular emphasis on energy. Focusing on the European Union, the article discusses the opportunities policy makers can implement to reduce the climate impacts and achieve the Paris Agreement 2050 targets. The analysis specifically looks at the fossil fuels industry and the future of the fossil sector post COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis first revises the fossil fuel sector, and then considers the need for a shift of the global climate change policy from promoting the deployment of renewable energy sources to curtailing the use of fossil fuels. This will be a change to the current global approach, from a relative passive one to a strategically dynamic and proactive one. Such a curtailment should be based on actual volumes of fossil fuels used and not on percentages. Finally, conclusions are preliminary applied to the European Union policies for net zero by 2050 based on a two-fold strategy: continuing and reinforcing the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive to 2035, while adopting a new directive for fixed and over time increasing curtailment of fossils as of 2025 until 2050.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyriakos Maniatis & David Chiaramonti & Eric van den Heuvel, 2021. "Post COVID-19 Recovery and 2050 Climate Change Targets: Changing the Emphasis from Promotion of Renewables to Mandated Curtailment of Fossil Fuels in the EU Policies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-44, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:5:p:1347-:d:508706
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/5/1347/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/5/1347/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Galina Alova, 2020. "A global analysis of the progress and failure of electric utilities to adapt their portfolios of power-generation assets to the energy transition," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 5(11), pages 920-927, November.
    2. Fergus Green, 2018. "Anti-fossil fuel norms," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 103-116, September.
    3. Elkhan Richard Sadik-Zada & Wilhelm Loewenstein, 2020. "Drivers of CO 2 -Emissions in Fossil Fuel Abundant Settings: (Pooled) Mean Group and Nonparametric Panel Analyses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, August.
    4. Elkhan Richard Sadik-Zada & Wilhelm Loewenstein & Y. Hasanli, 2019. "Production Linkages and Employment Effects of the Petroleum Windfalls: An Input-output Analysis of Azerbaijani Economy," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 9(1), pages 225-233.
    5. Moyer, Jonathan D. & Hedden, Steve, 2020. "Are we on the right path to achieve the sustainable development goals?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    6. Guojun He & Yuhang Pan & Takanao Tanaka, 2020. "The short-term impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on urban air pollution in China," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 3(12), pages 1005-1011, December.
    7. Chiaramonti, David & Maniatis, Kyriakos, 2020. "Security of supply, strategic storage and Covid19: Which lessons learnt for renewable and recycled carbon fuels, and their future role in decarbonizing transport?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Stephen R. J. Tsuji & Dan D. P. McCarthy & Stephen Quilley, 2021. "Green Energy—Green for Whom? A Case Study of the Kabinakagami River Waterpower Project in Northern Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-32, August.
    2. Indre Siksnelyte-Butkiene, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic to the Sustainability of the Energy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Yana Vodiak & Yurii Tsapko & Anatolii Kucher & Vitaliy Krupin & Iryna Skorokhod, 2022. "Influence of Growing Miscanthus x giganteus on Ecosystem Services of Chernozem," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-12, June.
    4. Kasinath, Archana & Fudala-Ksiazek, Sylwia & Szopinska, Malgorzata & Bylinski, Hubert & Artichowicz, Wojciech & Remiszewska-Skwarek, Anna & Luczkiewicz, Aneta, 2021. "Biomass in biogas production: Pretreatment and codigestion," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    5. Madurai Elavarasan, Rajvikram & Nadarajah, Mithulananthan & Pugazhendhi, Rishi & Sinha, Avik & Gangatharan, Sivasankar & Chiaramonti, David & Abou Houran, Mohamad, 2023. "The untold subtlety of energy consumption and its influence on policy drive towards Sustainable Development Goal 7," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    6. Wadim Strielkowski & Lubomír Civín & Elena Tarkhanova & Manuela Tvaronavičienė & Yelena Petrenko, 2021. "Renewable Energy in the Sustainable Development of Electrical Power Sector: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Stephen R. J. Tsuji, 2022. "Canada’s Impact Assessment Act, 2019: Indigenous Peoples, Cultural Sustainability, and Environmental Justice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-52, March.
    8. Lizheng Ma & Congzhi Zhang & Kai Lisa Lo & Xiangyan Meng, 2023. "Can Stringent Government Initiatives Lead to Global Economic Recovery Rapidly during the COVID-19 Epidemic?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-16, March.
    9. Panarello, Demetrio & Gatto, Andrea, 2023. "Decarbonising Europe – EU citizens’ perception of renewable energy transition amidst the European Green Deal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Junfeng & Xu, Xiaoya & Wang, Shimeng & He, Shutong & He, Pan, 2021. "Heterogeneous effects of COVID-19 lockdown measures on air quality in Northern China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(PA).
    2. Shaher H. Zyoud, 2023. "Analyzing and visualizing global research trends on COVID-19 linked to sustainable development goals," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(6), pages 5459-5493, June.
    3. Andrea Baranzini & Stefano Carattini & Linda Tesauro, 2021. "Designing Effective and Acceptable Road Pricing Schemes: Evidence from the Geneva Congestion Charge," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 79(3), pages 417-482, July.
    4. Gheorghe Cristian Popescu & Monica Popescu, 2022. "COVID-19 pandemic and agriculture in Romania: effects on agricultural systems, compliance with restrictions and relations with authorities," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 557-567, April.
    5. Matteo Böhm & Mirco Nanni & Luca Pappalardo, 2022. "Gross polluters and vehicle emissions reduction," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 5(8), pages 699-707, August.
    6. Paul, Ananna & Shukla, Nagesh & Trianni, Andrea, 2023. "Modelling supply chain sustainability challenges in the food processing sector amid the COVID-19 outbreak," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    7. Marco Grasso & J. David Tàbara, 2019. "Towards a Moral Compass to Guide Sustainability Transformations in a High-End Climate Change World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Miquel Salvador & David Sancho, 2021. "The Role of Local Government in the Drive for Sustainable Development Public Policies. An Analytical Framework Based on Institutional Capacities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Trinh, Trong-Anh, 2020. "Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Improve Global Air Quality? New Cross-national Evidence on Its Unintended Consequences," GLO Discussion Paper Series 606, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    10. Eduardo Polloni-Silva & Diogo Ferraz & Flávia de Castro Camioto & Daisy Aparecida do Nascimento Rebelatto & Herick Fernando Moralles, 2021. "Environmental Kuznets Curve and the Pollution-Halo/Haven Hypotheses: An Investigation in Brazilian Municipalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, April.
    11. Mehmet Çağlar & Cem Gürler, 2022. "Sustainable Development Goals: A cluster analysis of worldwide countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 8593-8624, June.
    12. Talan, Amogh & Rao, Amar & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Apostu, Simona-Andreea & Abbas, Shujaat, 2023. "Transition towards clean energy consumption in G7: Can financial sector, ICT and democracy help?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    13. Sadik-Zada, Elkhan Richard & Gatto, Andrea, 2023. "Civic engagement and energy transition in the Nordic-Baltic Sea Region: Parametric and nonparametric inquiries," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    14. Meina Zheng & Xiucheng Guo & Feng Liu & Jiayan Shen, 2021. "Contribution of Subway Expansions to Air Quality Improvement and the Corresponding Health Implications in Nanjing, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-19, January.
    15. Juha Hämäläinen & Kaisa Pihlainen & Riitta Vornanen, 2020. "Sustainable Family Life and Child Welfare: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, November.
    16. Lynda Andeobu & Santoso Wibowo & Srimannarayana Grandhi, 2022. "Medical Waste from COVID-19 Pandemic—A Systematic Review of Management and Environmental Impacts in Australia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-25, January.
    17. Indupurnahayu & Edhie Budi Setiawan & Lira Agusinta & Ryan Firdiansyah Suryawan & Prasadja Ricardianto & Mustika Sari & Sri Mulyono & Reza Fauzi Jaya Sakti, 2021. "Changes in Demand and Supply of the Crude Oil Market During the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Effects on the Natural Gas Market," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 11(3), pages 1-6.
    18. Steffen, Bjarne & Karplus, Valerie & Schmidt, Tobias S., 2022. "State ownership and technology adoption: The case of electric utilities and renewable energy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    19. Truzaar Dordi & Olaf Weber, 2019. "The Impact of Divestment Announcements on the Share Price of Fossil Fuel Stocks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-20, June.
    20. Raghu Raman & Hiran Lathabhai & Santanu Mandal & Chandan Kumar & Prema Nedungadi, 2023. "Contribution of Business Research to Sustainable Development Goals: Bibliometrics and Science Mapping Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-37, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:5:p:1347-:d:508706. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.