Only eight years are left to expand by almost three times the current total installed wind and solar energy capacity in the European Union (EU) in adding around 600 gigawatts (GW), and so reach the highly-ambitious 2030 targets. This requires a mobilization whose scale is immense – amidst...

Climate policies and energy transition

The Climate policies and energy transition research axis whithin Ifri's Center for Energy & Climate deals with the climate change policies adopted at national levels, as well as the positions of the main emitting countries in the international climate negociations. In particular, this area focuses on the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate and global efforts to reduce green-house gas emissions to limit the increase of temperature at +1,5° by 2100.
Director of Ifri’s Center for Energy & Climate
...Head of EU Policies, Center for Energy & Climate
...Associate Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...Associate Research Fellow, Center for Energy & Climate
...The climate and geopolitical crises call for speeding up the implementation of the European Green Deal around two main pillars: reducing energy consumption and investing in low-carbon alternatives. The swift and massive deployment of renewable energies (REN) is a major industrial challenge for...
At COP26, a long-term target to keep global warming below 1.5°C was set. This goal is inconsistent with the commitments that the signatory countries have made in terms of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
During COP26, Beijing and the Biden administration committed to reviving Sino-American cooperation on climate issues, in the name of their common interest in climate stability.
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is a first step toward reconciling the European Union (EU)’s climate and trade interests. However, a complementary set of domestic and external policies will be needed to drive the decarbonization of European and global energy-intensive industries....
On its path to carbon neutrality, the European Union (EU) will be exposed to growing energy price volatility and vulnerable to Russian and Chinese pressure on supply and demand.
The European Union (EU) is the world’s main trader in agricultural products, with imports totaling €142 billion in 2020. These imported agricultural products include commodities – palm oil, beef, cocoa, coffee, soy, etc. – that are responsible for deforestation in producing countries and...
Since the 1970s, energy efficiency has gained visibility as a low hanging fruit – its potential impact on critical issues such as climate change, energy security, or competitiveness is now widely acknowledged, even more so in times of higher energy prices.
All key candidates have climate neutrality by 2045 in sight, yet Germany is preparing to embark on a high-speed decarbonization train that has neither enough power nor rails to lead to its final destination. Beyond slogans and principles, effective strategies have often been missing.
The laws of physics and the geographic realities will prevail over the myths of hydrogen (H2): it will essentially be delivering carbon-neutral feedstocks to the chemical and steelmaking industries, carbon-neutral fuels to shipping and aviation, and eventually ensuring security in...
REPowerEU: How to Deliver on the Hydrogen Accelerator? Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
The first REPowerEU proposals aimed at reducing Russian gas demand, boosting resilience and decarbonization, call for a hydrogen accelerator with 10 Mt of additional hydrogen imports by 2030 and 5 Mt of additional domestic production, compared to 10 Mt of domestic production planned in the Fit...
Europe’s energy system facing multiple shocks: market adjustments and policy responses Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
Russia’s war with Ukraine has multiple spillover effects on Europe’s energy systems which face multiple threats adding up to systemic weaknesses and challenges.
The Transformation of Brazil’s Energy Sector: Opportunities and Challenges G2030
Brazil has announced at COP 26 its intention to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and eliminate illegal deforestation by 2028. With this new commitment from the government of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil is entering a new phase which aims to end three years of climate diplomacy isolation due to its...
Germany's Energy and Climate Policies after the Parliamentary Elections
Germany's September Parliamentary elections opened the way for coalition negotiations that may last until December. Yet first hints at directions and red lines in energy and climate policy can be identified as the country must prepare for an accelerated decarbonisation.
Geopolitics of Forests: How to Strengthen the International Response to Deforestation? Webinar
Across the tropical world, the race for land continues to fuel deforestation and threatens the stability of climate, territorial biodiversity and freshwater cycles. The central challenge is to preserve these ecological services without undermining national sovereignty on forest resources.
QUAD 2021 Annual Meeting
Since 1983, the QUAD gathers every year, the SWP, RAND Corporation, Chatham House and Ifri. The QUAD was set up during the Euromissile crisis and brings together European and American diplomats, military officers, journalists and research fellow to debate on current geopolitical issues.<...>
What to expect from the COP26 Climate Conference? Shifts in global attitudes and diplomatic strategies Ifri Closed Videoconference
In spite of President Biden’s Leaders Summit in April, there has been little improvement in national climate pledges. The world is still heading for a >2.5°C warming and the 1.5°C trajectory looks increasingly unlikely, if not impossible. Chances to bridge the pledges gap before...
Climate, Trade and Industrial Policy: What Strategy for the European Union? Les Jeudis de l'Ifri
A "Les Jeudis de l'Ifri" videoconférence around Carole MATHIEU, Head of EU Policies, Center for Energy & Climate.
Building up a Green Alliance between Japan and Europe: Opportunities and Challenges
The EU-Japan Green Alliance has been adopted during the 27th EU-Japan Summit in May 2021.
The ‘Fit-for-55’ Package: A Giant Leap for the European Economy? Ifri Green Deal Virtual Lunch Series
With the “Fit for 55” package, the European Union (EU) is the first global player to turn its climate neutrality pledge into a wide set of transformative policy proposals.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), makes 5 key recommendations for the future of French energy & climate policies to foster energy security and achieve climate objectives:
Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, director of Ifri's Center for Energy & Climate, explains why the creation of an International Minerals Agency would be essential to the regulation of this strategic global issue and how it could facilitate the dialogue between producers and consumers, bringing...
The two countries have been solid partners throughout the Trump era and France is now watching China’s investments closely, both at home and abroad.
Asia’s biggest economy wants to promote fuel cells for trucks. Renewable energy investments should make hydrogen less costly. Tesla Inc.Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has spent years mocking the idea of using hydrogen fuel cells rather than electric batteries to power next-generation green...
Governments across the globe are increasingly focusing on the benefits of sustainable energy and Qatar is no different. As part of its national vision, the country is working to create harmony between environmental protection and economic growth.
Following the 18 May Franco-German initiative and ahead of next week's critical presentation (27 May) by the European Commission of the European recovery plan aligned with the carbon neutrality objective, Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, Director of Ifri's Center for Energy &...
Economic recovery measures taken by several governments in the world so far are not aligned with the Paris Agreement. Yet some governments took important steps in the right direction but they are often insufficient. Two cases stand out : South Korea and the EU. But delivering on the ambitions...
The price of CO2 credits on Europe’s emissions trading scheme needs to rise to around €50 per tonne in order to drive the long-term development of Europe’s biomethane industry, says Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, a French researcher.
The prospects for biogas in Europe look bright, with conservative estimates pointing to a tenfold increase in production by 2030. However, the industry will need to stay rooted in the local economy and come clean on environmental credentials if it wants to avoid a green backlash, analysts say....
Over and again, legislators worldwide are confronting the same question: which technologies do we subsidise and support, when, by how much, and for how long. Get it right and those costs will reduce and should disappear once scale is reached. Solar and wind are on their way to proving...