Climate

Our reporting partners - Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) (Security Track), Bruegel - Improving economic policy (Finance & Economy Track), Europe Jacques Delors (Democracy Track) and KONTEXT Institut für Klimafragen (Klima Track) - followed the discussions closely to capture the key insights. Their observations serve as a basis for our conversations at the European Forum Alpbach 2025.

"The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born." – Antonio Gramsci

The European Forum Alpbach 2024 Climate Track Report by KONTEXT Institute for Climate Matters invites to explore the details of the discussions that were led at EFA24 around the actions needed to secure a sustainable future. Against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis, the report captures insights from speakers invited to speak at the Forum’s climate track sessions – experts, activists, and policymakers across Europe, each tackling the essential question: How can we transform an entrenched system to meet our climate goals?

Get a glimpse of their key insights:

The report explores the four major themes Visions for a Sustainable Future, Gaining Momentum for the Transition, Transforming Industries, and Regulatory Frameworks for the Transition. Along each of them, the report analyses the current status quo and its challenges and outlines solutions across fields and sectors.

Despite public awareness, real progress is blocked by political resistance, risk-averse industries, and bureaucratic delays. For instance, the energy sector struggles with regulatory roadblocks, and national interests hinder Europe’s unified approach to renewable energy. The housing sector faces the challenge of decarbonisation with unresolved questions of how costs will be fairly shared among stakeholders. This resistance, the report argues, is often rooted in complex economic and political interests that sustain the status quo.

“To overcome this entrenched situation we must tackle our crisis of imagination”, several speakers argued. Visions of a liveable future can spark action more effectively than science and data alone, and quotations of speakers in the report challenge us to imagine a thriving, sustainable world and to consider how this vision could shift mindsets.

Another one of the central insights of the analysis is the need for distributive leadership, in order to create a system of shared power and accountability in climate governance. By moving from competition to cooperation, industries can adopt sustainable practices more effectively, creating a ripple effect across sectors. Solutions are not singular or sweeping but rooted in collective responsibility and gradual transformation.

The report also criticises the limitations within Europe’s policy frameworks. While the EU Green Deal sets a robust foundation, it lacks the regulatory clarity to mobilise private investment in green technologies. Calls for green lead markets and predictable carbon pricing reflect the need for policies that foster long-term commitments, voiced by several speakers.

Ultimately, the findings in the report leave us with both a sense of urgency and hope. Building a liveable future is not about waiting for a big leap; rather, it is about implementing interconnected incremental shifts. Reading the report may serve as a reminder and inspiration for the required next steps.

Reference: Kontext Report - European Forum Alpbach 2024 Climate Track Report

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