TRANSrisk Policy Lunch "Paris in Practice: Understanding the Risks and Uncertainties", 6 November 2018, Brussels, Belgium

TRANSrisk hosted its Policy Lunch "Paris in Practice: Understanding the Risks and Uncertainties" on November 6^th 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The event summarised the work carried out in the 3 years of TRANSrisk's implementation and presented its major outcomes.

More particularly, the event explored how the countries of the European Union can make the transition towards zero or even negative emissions, as envisaged by 2015’s Paris Agreement, with help of a better understanding of the risks and uncertainties this transition entails. New tools and techniques that can help develop robust, effective climate policy were presented.

Risks and uncertainties relate to the possible consequences of climate policies for our economies, environment and society, as well as the risk that climate solutions cannot be implemented due to unforeseen constraints. While risks and uncertainties affect all areas of policymaking, the sheer scale of the transition needed to hit 2050 climate targets means that even unlikely risks and small uncertainties can have an enormous impact on the success of a low carbon transition. Understanding and mitigating risks and uncertainties is therefore of key importance to effective, robust, climate policy. In addition, there can also be uncertainty about potential opportunities or co-benefits, which was also considered in TRANSrisk’s analysis.

TRANSrisk’s work has spanned the globe, with 14 country case studies focusing on relevant technologies in the context of each country’s national policy goals.

Our work has included:

• Developing techniques to identify (and mitigate) risks, uncertainties and opportunities when scaling up climate solutions in low carbon transition pathways.
• Creating easy to use desktop modelling tools for exploring ‘what if’ scenarios.
• Understanding the potential for a range of low carbon technologies: from photovoltaics to geothermal energy.
• Exploring the potential of energy efficiency and behaviour change measures.
• Developing novel research techniques that co-ordinate the use of stakeholder input with computer models of economies, allowing more robust modelling of climate policy scenarios and socially acceptable climate solutions.

Our results will help inform more effective climate change policy, which is directly relevant for implementation of the Paris Agreement. Not only does the TRANSrisk toolbox support countries in formulating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), it also helps to scale up the ambitions of future NDCs, in support of the Global Stocktake.

Download below the event's agenda and the presentations delivered.