Climate


240829 113625 CHAT Tomorrow Today Liveable Future c EFA Ioana Cirlig

20 Nov, 2024

Four think tanks have joined the EFA24 as Reporting Partners, each tasked with a single goal: to summarize and reflect on the key issues within our main thematic tracks - Climate, Democracy and the Rule of Law, Finance and Economy, and Security.

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 (Climate 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.

One other issue highlighted was Europe's limited appetite for risk-sharing. Mitigating the burden of initial investments through shared risk between the public and private sectors could be instrumental in unlocking private finance. Ongoing subsidies could be replaced with one-time capital investments from the government, making green technologies more financially viable.

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.

Democracy and the Rule of Law

Our reporting partner Europe Jacques Delors participated in the “Democracy and the Rule of Law” track, analysing the key issues of EFA24: polarisation, democratic backsliding, climate policy, and the future of the EU.

Curious? Take a look at the blog post about their report!

Finance and Economy

Our reporting partner, Bruegel, contributed to the Finance and Economy track, analysing the key issues of EFA24: inequality, AI’s impact on labour markets, financing the green transition, and fostering financial market sustainability.

Curious? Take a look at the blog post about their report!

Security

Our reporting partner, AIES - Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, contributed to the Security Track, analysing a key issue: how Austria is struggling to reconcile its historic commitment to neutrality with its expanding responsibilities within the EU security framework.

Curious? Take a look at the blog post about their report!

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


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