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This event was a presentation by Dieter Helm on European climate policy and to take part in a subsequent discussion. The presentation largely drew on Dieter Helm’s new book “The Carbon Crunch: How We’re Getting Climate Change Wrong – and How to Fix it”. In the book he explains why, in spite of Kyoto, in spite of all the EU initiatives, in spite of the Copenhagen summit, nothing much has been done about the ever-upward growth of carbon emissions. The book moves on to describe that decarbonisation is contingent on technological breakthroughs that cannot be achieved only by funding only existing technologies. According to Dieter Helm, a tax on carbon consumption could be the least distorting way to encourage new technologies while preserving our competitiveness.

After the presentation, there was a stimulating and engaging discussion of the fundamental economics and politics of climate policy.

Speakers

Dieter Helm is a Professor at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of New College, Oxford. He is an economist specialising in utilities, infrastructure, regulation and the environment in Britain and Europe. He has been an influential advisor to energy and climate policy makers in London, Brussels and Warsaw. Most recently, as a member of the Economics Advisory Group to the UK Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, and he has been one of the masterminds of the UK energy market reform and assisted the European Commission in preparing the Energy Roadmap 2050.

Discussant - , Director General, European Commission, DG CLIMA

Chair - Georg Zachmann, Bruegel Research Fellow

Event materials

• Event summary here
• Professor Dieter Helm, presentation, Climate change and EU policy - why has so little been achieved? here

Practical details

• Venue: Bruegel, Rue de la Charité 33, 1210 Bruxelles
• Time: 4 October 2012, 12:30 (lunch) for 12:45 (event starts) - 14:00
• Contact: [email protected]