The 28^th EEAC Annual Conference took place over three days from Tuesday 27th October to Thursday 29th October. Over four hundred experts, academics, council representatives and policy makers contributed to this exciting online event, which comprised of a mix of keynote speakers, panel discussions and spotlight sessions.

The conference provided a forum for Irish and European colleagues to share perspectives, experiences and practices and develop a common understanding and concrete strategies for making progress. The conference shed light on how other countries are managing the transition process, with special attention paid to managing the impacts of climate policy that might disproportionately impact specific groups in society.

The National Economic and Social Council and the EEAC Network were especially honoured that the conference included a keynote address entitled ‘Delivering A Just Transition For All’ by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. The recordings of the three conference days are made available online and can be viewed here. A written conference summary will follow in due time.

Land use and soil: Only if there is a fundamental change in the way we manage land can we reach the targets of climate change mitigation, avert the dramatic loss of biodiversity and make the global food system sustainable, the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) concluded in its latest publication. The council proposes five multiple-benefit strategies illustrating ways of overcoming competition between rival claims to the use of land. These should be promoted by five governance strategies, especially by setting suitable framework conditions, reorienting EU policy and establishing alliances of like-minded states, WBGU argued. Read More
 

Source: www.rli.nl, www.wbgu.de, www.nesc.ie and www.cads.gencat.cat

Housing: Bold action is urgently needed to fix the housing system and deliver more affordable homes in Ireland. To this end, Ireland must bring about a fundamental change in its system of urban development, land management and housing provision, the Irish National Economic and Social Council (NESC) concluded in its latestes report. The housing system must evolve from a speculative and highly cyclical one to a permanently affordable, stable and more sustainable system of housing. Pursuing that objective, the report by NESC is concerned with two related issues: first, bridging the supply gap by actively managing land and locational value for public good; second, bridging the affordability gap by engineering-in permanent affordability. This report details the steps necessary to bridge these two gaps by way of institutional adjustments, more effective use of existing policy instruments, and innovation to enhance the policy options available to the State. Read More
 

The urban environment: Housing is also a central theme in the latest publication of the Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli). In their report, Rli argues that more and more people want to live in cities because of the concentration of work, education and care. However, the possibilities for people to participate in urban society in the Netherlands are diminishing because access to housing, transport and public amenities has declined for many of them. Rli argues that changes in policies and government investments are needed. The council therefore recommends a number of specific changes, ranging from A) Assessing the impact of policy for the living environment on access to urban society, to B) Creating room for civil initiatives that improve access, and C) Improve access to public amenities, housing and transport. Read More
 

Marine and coastal zones: The Advisory Council for Sustainable Development of Catalonia (CADS) published the translation of its advisory report entitled ‘A changing sea: recommendations for the sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment’. The report builds on actions taken by the Catalan government with a view to ensuring their contribution to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the UN 2030 Agenda and their medium- to long-term transformative potential, in accordance with the magnitude of the challenges and, in particular, the opportunities related to what is termed the “blue economy”. The recommendations included in this CADS report are geared towards making progress in the sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment, making the conservation of the marine environment compatible with the socio-economic activity that takes place in it or directly impacts it, in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Read More
 

To help repair the economic and social damage deriving from the Covid pandemic, kick-start European recovery, and protect and create jobs, the European Commission has proposed a major recovery plan for Europe: Next Generation EU. Reforms as well as significant investments, both from the private and public sector, are at the heart of this plan. During a two day joint event – co-hosted by the EEAC Network - the different EU initiatives were discussed and experts shared their views on how the EU initiatives might facilitate green transition in times of economic recovery. In his contribution Arnau Queralt Bassa – Chairman of the EEAC Network – tabled a variety of important prerequisites for a truly green recovery. A summary of the event can be found Here.

 

A high-level exchange convening scientists, business representatives and government advisors was co-hosted by the Technical University of Munich and the EEAC Network in November. On the agenda where two topics. Firstly, the role digitalisation can play in meeting climate neutrality and sustainability targets. Secondly, the participants discussed how recent political developments, and in particular the outcome of the US election, may impact the implementation of the European Green Deal. Among others Prof. Martina Fromhold-Eisebith (WBGU), Prof. Miranda Schreurs (Vice Chair EEAC Network), and Dr. Wieland Holfelder (Vice President Engineering & Site Lead, Google Munich) contributed to the session. A session outcome document is expected in due course.
 

The Annual Plenary Session (APS) of the EEAC Network elected five board members who will facilitate the functioning of the network during their term from 2020 to 2022. The board consists of a Chair (Mr. Arnau Queralt Bassa), Vice Chairs (Prof. Miranda Schreurs and Dr. António Abreu), Secretary (Prof. Eeva Furman) and Treasurer (Dr. Ron Hillebrand). The board commenced its duties in November and will present the EEAC Annual Plan 2021 in January 2021. Read More

The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) has been appointed by the Federal Cabinet for its next term until 31.10.2024. Six of the nine Council members have been appointed for the first time. Reappointed are: Markus Fischer; Karen Pittel and Sabine Schlacke. First time appointed WBGU members are: Alexander Bassen, Jörg Drewes, Sabine Gabrysch, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Hans-Otto Pörtner, and Anke Weidenkaff. Read More