Publications

The ESPON Climate framework is a first attempt to develop a comprehensive methodology that integrates data and interrelations across a vast range of relevant fields in order to assess a pan-European…

The role of bioenergy in climate change mitigation is a topic of heated debate, as the demand for land may result in social and ecological conflicts. Biodiversity impacts are a key controversy, given…

The EU has set itself the ambition of an 80% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050. Such a drastic reduction requires a much more vigorous renewal of the energy system. Setting a target for emission…

The intensity and occurrence of extreme weather events are expected to change with climate change. This change necessitates adaptive responses to extreme events, which need to take into account…

This paper studies the effects of mitigation and adaptation on coastal flood impacts. We focus on a scenario that stabilizes concentrations at 450 parts per million CO 2 -equivalent leading to 42 cm…

As part of the Cancún Agreements, 45 non-Annex I countries (non-industrialised) have pledged mitigation action plans, of which 16 countries, including the seven major emitting countries, have…

The use of climate engineering or geoengineering technologies to combat climate change has been a controversial topic, even in the scientific debate. In recent studies, it has been claimed that the…

A greenhouse gas reduction target of 40% below 1990 levels for 2030 for the European Union, to be achieved within Europe, would not necessarily be sufficient for achieving the target of limiting…

Although energy markets are interlinked and energy companies operate internationally, European countries have a strong national focus in their climate and energy policies. Countries have little regard…

Disasters such as floods, storms, heatwaves and droughts may have serious implications for human health and the economic development of countries. One of the main findings of this report is that…