Climate realism: Policy proposals for effective decarbonisation and true sustainability in the EU

Abstract

The EU has put forward a very ambitious policy agenda for decarbonising its economy and limiting the dangerous consequences of climate change. However, parts of its approach have become untenable. This article argues that the current design of the EU’s climate agenda is becoming financially and socially unsustainable. Spiralling fiscal costs, a scarcity of vital energy and resources, and increasing societal strain risk derailing the European Green Deal. The text puts forward a number of centre–right policy proposals for a more realistic European approach to climate change that would deliver true sustainability and take the EU towards climate neutrality.