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COVID-19 and EU Climate Targets: Can We Now Go Further?

Author

Listed:
  • Tensay Hadush Meles

    (University College Dublin
    University College Dublin)

  • Lisa Ryan

    (University College Dublin
    University College Dublin)

  • Joe Wheatley

    (University College Dublin
    University College Dublin)

Abstract

This paper examines the implications of the COVID-19 crisis on the 2030 EU CO2 emissions target, considering a range of economic growth scenarios. With lower economic activity resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, we find that existing climate policy measures could overshoot the current 40% EU target in 2030. If policymakers consequently relax climate policy measures to maintain the 2030 target, the opportunity will be missed to align EU climate policy with longer-term Paris emissions mitigation goals. Our analysis highlights that although existing climate policy measures will likely reduce emissions more than 40% by 2030 in the wake of the pandemic, they will not be enough to meet the Paris agreement. More stringent measures, such as those proposed under the Green New Deal, will still be needed and may be less costly than previously estimated.

Suggested Citation

  • Tensay Hadush Meles & Lisa Ryan & Joe Wheatley, 2020. "COVID-19 and EU Climate Targets: Can We Now Go Further?," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 779-787, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:76:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s10640-020-00476-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-020-00476-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jiang, Xuemei & Guan, Dabo, 2017. "The global CO2 emissions growth after international crisis and the role of international trade," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 734-746.
    2. Glen P. Peters & Gregg Marland & Corinne Le Quéré & Thomas Boden & Josep G. Canadell & Michael R. Raupach, 2012. "Rapid growth in CO2 emissions after the 2008–2009 global financial crisis," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 2-4, January.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Li-Jing & Yao, Yun-Fei & Liang, Qiao-Mei & Qian, Xiang-Yan & Xu, Chun-Lei & Wei, Si-Yi & Creutzig, Felix & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2021. "Combining economic recovery with climate change mitigation: A global evaluation of financial instruments," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 438-453.
    2. Filippo Beltrami & Fulvio Fontini & Monica Giulietti & Luigi Grossi, 2022. "The Zonal and Seasonal CO2 Marginal Emissions Factors for the Italian Power Market," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 83(2), pages 381-411, October.
    3. Rolando Fuentes & Marzio Galeotti & Alessandro Lanza & Baltasar Manzano, 2020. "COVID-19 and Climate Change: A Tale of Two Global Problems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-14, October.
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    5. Pavel V. Shevchenko & Daisuke Murakami & Tomoko Matsui & Tor A. Myrvoll, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 type events on the economy and climate under the stochastic DICE model," Papers 2111.00835, arXiv.org.
    6. Ema Gusheva & Vincent de Gooyert, 2021. "Can We Have Our Cake and Eat It? A Review of the Debate on Green Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climate change policy; Greenhouse gas emissions; Economic recovery; COVID-19 economic effects; Energy demand;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy

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