Economic Arguments for an Ambitious Paris Climate Agreement: Decoupling Energy Consumption from Sustainable Growth in Europe, China and the United States

The transformation of economic growth towards a lower dependency on fossil fuels and related greenhouse gas emissions is essential for the feasibility of a successful global climate strategy. Last year was the first in decades in which the world economy grew but global CO2 emissions didn’t. If COP21 in Paris succeeds to strike an ambitious deal, this will send strong signals towards a global low-carbon transition.

The EU has set itself the goal to decarbonise its energy system by the middle of this century and wants to show that climate action and economic growth go hand in hand. The United States has seen a trend of declining energy use on both a per capita basis and in relation to GDP of the US economy. The success of Obama’s Clean Power Plan will be measured not only against its ability to reduce US carbon emissions but also for not jeopardising economic growth. Meanwhile, China is undertaking a major structural shift away from carbon-intensive development. As one of the first of the major emerging economies, China successfully reduced the energy intensity of its economy.

What can we learn from decoupling trends in different countries at the global level? What are the main drivers and barriers of decoupling conventional energy consumption from sustainable growth? What are the opportunities and challenges for developed and developing countries? And what are the expectations of COP21 to spur the decoupling trend at global level?

Welcome:
Rainer Steffens, Director of the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the European Union

Speakers:
Anselm Mattes, Senior Consultant, DIW Econ – Consulting Company of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), Co-author of Study “Turning point: Decoupling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Economic Growth”  
Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair European Green Party (EGP)
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Director of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership EU Office and Executive Director of the Green Growth Platform
Jana Frejova, Research Associate, New Climate Economy Initiative

Moderator:
Klaus Linsenmeier, Director Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union