The EU has committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2050, with many member states having integrated this goal into national strategies. The bloc’s path towards delivering on this ambition, however, remains unclear.
Alongside the Horizon Europe project IAM COMPACT as well as the Hellenic Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage, the DIAMOND consortium is co-hosting a panel discussion at the Greek Pavilion at COP28, in Dubai (15.00 GMT+4), aiming to explore the uncertainties and challenges ahead for the EU’s journey to net zero in 2050, drawing on the findings of our flagship study in Joule (here).
The discussion will first explore the feasibility of key aspects of the Fit for 55 policy package and question the energy-system requirements to reaching net zero by 2050, across sectors and member states. Special attention will be given to strategic decisions that the EU must make today, especially relating to technological investments and associated enabling environments, as well as to key intermediate milestones on the way to net zero.
In turn, the panel discussion will also dive deeper into the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in abating residual fossil fuels (based on this working paper), as well as into that of natural gas, notably in the light of the energy crisis in Europe (based on this study and the discussion here).
The key objectives of this COP28 side-event will be to (a) highlight potential challenges to the EU’s path to net zero, (b) fuel the policy debate on critical technologies, and (c) share knowledge.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Prof. Ryna Yiyun Cui, (University of Maryland, US) and its agenda includes the following interventions:
· “Paving the way to net zero in the EU: key technologies, strategic decisions, and a roadmap” Speaker: Haris Doukas, Professor at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), President of the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET) Energy Council, Mayor-Elect of the Municipality of Athens, Greece.
· “Defining ‘Abated Fossil Fuels’ and identifying their role in the EU’s long-term ambition” Speaker: Alaa Al Khourdajie, Research Fellow at the Department of Chemical Engineering of Imperial College London (Imperial)
· “The role of gas in the EU’s net-zero trajectory: thinking in the context of the energy crisis” Speaker: Steve Pye, Assoc. Professor at the UCL Energy Institute (University College London)
You may find more information in the agenda COP28_side_event.
