Local expectations of the European Green Deal

Written as part of the ARQUS Twinning Programme on “Local Energy Transitions” between Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 and University of Bergen spring 202

Case study for the European Green Deal

Master of AgribusinessDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsVincent R Amanor-BoaduThere is little room for debate that the climate is changing, and action is needed to prevent disasters from occurring. The debate comes when deciding how to take action to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The research question we are focusing on is this: What do we not know about what needs to change to ensure a successful execution of a Farm-to-Fork policy embedded in climate neutrality? In other words, what are the knowledge gaps between where we are and where we need to be when it comes to implementing a Farm-to-Fork sustainability strategy? Answering this question makes a very important contribution to the conversation about addressing what some have described as an existential problem facing humanity today. The European Commission is enacting a strategy to address the Sustainable Development Goals, which includes climate change, called the European Green Deal. The European Green Deal is an initiative to move European society from a linear economy to a circular economy. That is, it seeks to position Europe to eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials at their highest value, and regenerate nature. The European Green Deal is part of Europe’s NextGenerationEU Recovery Plan and has a price tag of about €600 billion. Within the Green Deal is the Farm-to-Fork initiative aimed at transforming the food system into a circular economic system. The overall objective of this thesis is to provide a context for filling the knowledge and information gaps influencing the probability of a successful transition to a food system built on a Farm-to-Fork principle. This is accomplished through a literature review and carefully exploring the physical challenges, the impacts on the people, the economy, and the interconnections between them and the physical environment. The thesis presents some ideas of how the strategy may be implemented to increase its probability of success. The Farm-to-Fork initiative is very ambitious. It is a necessary initiative if the perceived challenges associated with the food system in the unfolding transformation in climatic conditions are to be addressed. Its prime limitation is the timeframe and the policy details. This research finds that the timeframe is unrealistic given the breadth and depth of changes that need to be made. Changing a linear system to a circular system requires a rebuild from the foundations and 2030 does not seem realistic from what progress has been made thus far. The risk of a failed policy due to unreasonable expectations can be severe for not only Europe but its trading partners, such as the United States, and the developing economies whose policies it influences

Climate Politics in Green Deals: Exposing the Political Frontiers of the European Green Deal

This article investigates the political attempts to frame European climate politics and provides a critical discourse analysis of the European Green Deal. A rapid transition towards low-carbon development across the world has been contested by discourses aiming to acknowledge the inseparability of social and ecological issues. These discussions are fairly new in the European context and in 2019, the European Commission presented its Communication on the European Green Deal - the European Union’s legislative roadmap to carbon neutrality by 2050. Empirical evidence for this article is derived from process tracing and policy analysis of the European Commission's documents on the European Green Deal in relation to existing Green New Deals. Drawing from a neo-Gramscian perspective we argue that the European Green Deal is an attempt to extend the neoliberal hegemonic formation within European climate politics. This results in the foreclosure of democratic channels for articulating climate politics according to dissenting discourses, thereby avoiding the political contestation inherent to climate politics

What are the prospects for the European Green Deal?

At the end of 2019, the European Commission announced a ‘Green Deal’ for Europe. Marco Siddi assesses the progress that has been made so far and highlights some of the potential legal, economic and policy challenges the Green Deal will have to overcome to be successful

Importance of soil science in the European Green Deal

This is the Congress inauguration statement of Professor Carmelo Dazzi (President of the European Society for Soil Conservation) to the international conference “Sustainable Management of Cultural Landscapes in the context of the European Green Deal”, held in Santo Stefano di Camastra (Sicily, Italy) jointly organized by the European Society for Soil Conservation and the European Ecocycles Society on November 9-14, 2021

The end of ‘business as usual’? COVID-19 and the European Green Deal. Egmont European Policy Brief No. 60 May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a clear and drastic effect on our daily lives and political priorities. But what implications does it have for the EU’s climate action and the Von der Leyen Commission’s flagship policy, the European Green Deal? The crisis may be a ‘make or break’ moment for the EU to act on climate change through its recovery plan

Polish railways from the perspective of the European Green Deal

In January 2020 the European Parliament approved a resolution on the Green Deal, which aims to ensure that the EU achieves climate neutrality by 2050. Crucial to achieving the strategy’s goals is sustainable and green mobility. Rail transport as the most sustainable mode of transport is an important factor in achieving these changes.This article presents a synthetic diagnosis of the position of railways on the passenger transport market in Poland, in the context of the Green Deal assumptions. The essential analysis was preceded by a discussion of the structure of external transport costs, which is one of the determinants of the Green Deal. Trends in passenger transport were then identified and attention was paid to the shift of inter-industry relations in favour of rail transport. An analysis of the structure of regional and agglomeration rail transport was also carried out. Developments in this market area show a revitalisation of agglomeration rail links, which fits in with the sustainable mobility strategy

Green and Just? An update on the `European Green Deal´

The article discusses recent developments concerning the most important European energy and climate law initiative at the moment, the ‘European Green Deal’. Details of the initial ‘European Green Deal’ have been discussed elsewhere in this journal. At its core are two components: the green transition of European societies on the one hand and the question how this may be organized in a just way, on the other hand. The article discusses recent developments concerning these ‘green’ and ‘just’ aspects and concludes with some critical remarks on the ways in which these ‘green’ and ‘just’ aspects of the ‘European Green Deal’ are being implemented into energy and climate law

A THEORETICAL STUDY ON ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL

To avoid climate change and environmental degradation, the European Commission developed the European Green Deal, which aims to decouple economic growth from resource use, however, in some sectors, such as agriculture, the use of different resources ensures high productivity rates for agricultural enterprises, which means income for their, as well as food security for society. Strict requirements and restrictions can have a negative impact on the agricultural sector if the goals are set too ambitious or adequate coverage of compensatory support mechanisms is not provided. Novelty of the research - has been summarized and analysed the research on economic impact of the European Green Deal, accordingly drawing conclusions and proposals