ECRM Keynote Speakers

The following are outlines for the Keynote Speeches which will take place at ECRM 2023

Meeting the climate change challenge: How is it shaping economic policy research?

Luiz de Mello

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges policymakers are currently facing. Meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping the rise in world temperature well below 2oC, and preferably 1.5oC, compared to pre-industrial levels will require steadfast policy action in the coming years to underpin the needed transition to a low-carbon economy. Countries have made ambitious pledges to reduce emissions and announced climate change mitigation policies to honour those commitments, but action remains by and large out of step with stated ambitions.

Policymakers will need to make choices to redress this situation. Success will depend largely on how well and how far they use the policy instruments at their disposal. Policy choices will need to be informed by a better understanding of the instruments that can be deployed, their potential to reduce emissions, and their associated economic benefits and transition costs. Policy instruments also differ in their impact on government budgets. Policymakers cannot rely on a single instrument and need instead comprehensive climate policy packages to achieve cost-effectiveness along with social acceptability of decarbonisation strategies.

Against this background, the keynote presentation will set the scene by showing trends in emissions worldwide and where the world is from achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century. It will then discuss policy options for reducing emissions and the associated challenges for economic analysis. It will conclude by highlighting areas for future policy-relevant research.