Description of Developed Countries’ Climate Policy

This chapter provides a description of the main climate action policies implemented by the EU-28 and the other developed countries under study. For that purpose, we heavily draw on the Climate Action Tracker (Climate action tracker. NewClimate—Institute for Climate Policy and Global Sustainability gGmbH & Climate Analytics gGmbH. Retrieved August 18, 2024, from https://www.climateactiontracker.org , 2024a). Particular attention is placed on individual countries’ 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. We also point out whether the EU and other developed countries signed the Methane, Coal Exit, 100% Electric Vehicles, and Forestry Pledges as well as the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance at the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC held in Glasgow from 31 October to 13 November 2021. In addition, we focus on the main national climate policy initiatives affecting the energy sector, the industry sector, the transport sector, the building sector, agriculture, and forestry. In the case of countries belonging to the EU, we describe the main Directives and Regulations affecting climate action over the past decades to present times. Particular attention is given to climate action policy initiatives associated with the creation of an emissions trading scheme, the promotion of renewable energy sources, the improvement of energy efficiency standards, and the electrification of the transport sector.