Get to know our members and what being part of the ETC means to them. We are pleased to share an exclusive interview with Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation.
What drew your organisation to join the ETC?
It is critically important that policy making and public discourse on the energy transition is informed by good data and credible, forward-looking analysis. We are seeing very rapid changes in clean energy technologies – whether it is falling costs for renewables, deeper understanding of the challenges of system integration, or on feasibility of addressing what we used to call “hard to abate” sectors. But too much of the debate is still based on out-dated information or assumptions. The ETC is very well-placed to help to bridge that gap, with excellent analysis, clear communications and a brand which is credible with both policymakers and the business community.
The ETC’s ability to work with experts from across the business community is particularly important in helping to build shared confidence in the solutions. I am particularly pleased to see the ETC expanding its membership across the global South.
What do you see as the ETC’s most impactful achievement since you’ve been a Commissioner/Representative?
The ETC’s work to demonstrate the critical importance and feasibility of clean electrification, based overwhelmingly on wind, solar and sustainable renewables, has really helped to frame and move forward the energy debate in a constructive way. It has also been very helpful in demonstrating the feasibility of pathways for decarbonising industry based largely on direct and indirect electrification using green hydrogen.
Last year’s work by the ETC on securing clean energy supply chains was very timely and extremely helpful in providing much-needed evidence into the often heated debate on critical minerals and threats to supply chains. It has helped to focus attention on the main areas where supply chain bottlenecks risk stalling progress, and on options to help reduce the environmental or social impact of the new clean energy economy.
What do you see as the biggest obstacle on the journey to net-zero?
The single biggest obstacle we face is no longer technical – as the ETC’s body of analysis confirms. The main challenge is to ensure that transition is implemented – and is seen to be implemented – in a way which is fair and which creates opportunities for all.
There is a constructive tension between the urgency of acting on climate change, and the need to ensure that this very speed does not fuel a backlash. We cannot ignore the social dimension, not least as this will be essential to maintain and build public and political support for the very big changes that are needed.
This need to address social justice – or fairness – applies at all levels. It matters in terms of ensuring a rural community’s support for a renewable energy facility; in ensuring that national climate policies are clearly designed fairly and informed by a good understanding of the distributional impacts; and of course internationally, where the whole question of climate justice, and ensuring that finance is provided for both mitigation and adaptation, simply cannot be put to one side.
What are the key milestones you see on the road to net-zero, and why?
As many will know, I was closely involved in the Paris Climate Agreement at COP21. We have made a lot of progress since then, but international politics are increasingly challenging and we have yet to see emissions moving onto a clear downward trend. Next year’s COP in Brazil will be a critical moment to recapture the positive spirit of the Paris agreement and to restore momentum.
In the energy sector, the critical path depends on a very rapid scale-up of wind, solar and grids to rapidly move to a fossil-free power sector and to provide enough clean electricity for other sectors. The commitments at COP28 to tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 were a good start, but an awful lot needs to happen to turn those high level promises in to action and investment on the ground – and across all key countries and regions.
Another key milestone will be the need to unlock finance for the transition, especially in the global South. We have seen positive moves to reform the global financial architecture to address debt, climate and inflation – ensuring that this turns into real, actionable policies and practice will be critical.
What is the one necessary change you feel most personally passionate about in the transition journey?
Ensuring that people, and social fairness, are placed at the heart of the transition. We can no longer implement climate policies by stealth.
To be truly sustainable – in the widest sense of the word – policies must be designed with social fairness at their heart. This means we need to understand and get ahead of the distributional and trade implications, and also work to ensure that citizens from across society are engaged in the process, and supportive of the approach. One example which I have found to be particularly interesting is the use of citizen’s juries and other ways of opening up the democratic space.