‘Beyond GDP’ Requires Replacement, Not Just Additional Metrics - Social Indicators Research Social Indicators Research - Political decision-making remains dominated by GDP, often at the expense of social and environmental concerns. Indicator dashboards have so far had limited impact on...

‘Beyond GDP’ requires replacement, not just additional metrics. GDP dominates public policy, sidelining social & environmental aims. Dashboards did not change this at all. Solution is to replace GDP by more comprehensive metric. Advantage: low "perception distance". link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Climate policy feasibility across Europe relies on the conditional middle Nature Climate Change - The feasibility of climate policies hinges on public support. A survey of 13 EU countries shows that ‘middle groups’—citizens whose support across...

Read the full findings, published today in @NatureClimate : rdcu.be/e7Sn4
Also, an article on these finding in ETH News : ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

And a blog on the CAPABLE website : capableclimate.eu/the-middle-s...

Climate politics sounds increasingly polarised. But in Europe, support for climate isn’t driven by die-hard supporters or opponents. It tends to be shaped by a large “conditional middle” (33%).

"Opinions of EU citizens about climate policy in their own words", with @IvanVSavin. Results from a public survey in 13 EU countries. Inadequate understanding of policy instruments & details may contribute to limited public support for climate policy.
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

Comparing two court rulings on Shell's carbon emissions with climate-policy science In November 2024, a ruling by a Dutch Court of Appeal overturned a 2021 District Court verdict concerning the obligations of the oil and gas company S…

In Nov 2024, a Dutch Court of Appeal overturned a 2021 District-Court verdict on obligations of Shell to reduce carbon emissions. This article examines the scientific basis of both rulings. It suggests legal action against governments enacting weak policies is more effective.
doi.org/10.1016/j.er...

#16 Dr. Jeroen van den Bergh – Cap-and-Trade vs Carbon Taxes: When Objectives and Frictions Matte... YouTube video by Climate Economics with Arvid Viaene

🎙️ Why Cap-and-Trade Beats Carbon Taxes – Even When People Aren’t Rational🌍

#PODCAST @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social from ICTA-UAB explains why carbon markets work better than taxes, how they reduce emissions automatically & tackle human behavior.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSzr...

A review of carbon-pricing studies for developing countries We review studies that assess hypothetical and actual carbon-pricing schemes in developing countries, focused on policy effectiveness in terms of emissions reduction. The article opens with gatheri...

Here is a new review of studies assessing hypothetical & actual carbon-pricing schemes for low- and middle-income countries, organized by main world regions. www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RVUUF...

Big congratulations to Dr. Elisa Grugni! 🎓👏

She has successfully defended her PhD thesis on “Agent-based models for macro-financial and climate economics”.

Kudos to her directors Ivan Savin & Luca Vittorio Angelo Colombo, tutor @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social and family for a great day!

The Cultural Multiplier of Climate Policy - Environmental and Resource Economics To achieve deep decarbonisation, the design of climate policy needs to account for consumption choices being influenced not only by pricing but also by social learning. This involves changes that pert...

Deep decarbonization needs lifestyle change. Our new model introduces a “cultural multiplier”: spillovers across consumers boost the impact of carbon pricing. Policies can then achieve emission targets with lower carbon prices - also good news for public acceptance.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Elisabeth Gsottbauer & @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social with no fewer than 8 key arguments in favor of "Pricing instruments in environmental and climate policy when polluters are boundedly rational"
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Economics, happiness and climate change: exploring new measures of progress - Environment, Development and Sustainability This research explores the relationship between environmental sustainability, well-being, and economic output, specifically critiquing the predominant reliance on GDP as the main progress indicator. T...

I'm very glad to share that the second paper coming from the doctoral research of my PhD student Margarida Casau (which I co-supervise with Marta Ferreira Dias) has just been published at "Environment, Development and Sustainability". Feel free to read and cite ;)
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Don't underestimate the incentives for free riding by countries on emissions reduction. Actual & perhaps more so perceived cost (incl. welfare effects) of abatement are generally high while there are no direct, quick benefits. Inequity btw countries can surely reinforce it but is not the main cause.

You should expect this as the Paris Agreement includes no mechanism for limiting (rational) free riding by countries. Only an expanding climate club like the EU-ETS can overcome this.

CAT Global Update 2025 🚨 Ten years after the #ParisAgreement we see little to no measurable progress in warming projections - for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2035 #NDCs have made no difference to our warming outlook.
🔗 bit.ly/CAT_Global_2...

What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.

It's *scientific publishing*.

We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.

Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...

Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇

How does wealth inequality impact climate change?

Alongside my brilliant colleagues @morrison-james.bsky.social & @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social we attempt to answer this in a new article @climate-policy.bsky.social
We identify four mechanisms through which wealth inequality impacts carbon emissions

Ignorancia o complicidad ante la crisis climática La inacción ante la crisis climática es una decisión activa que pone en peligro nuestro futuro común.

@profjeroenbergh.bsky.social y yo escribimos en @publico.es sobre la postura de la derecha española ante la crisis climática y el aumento de fenómenos extremos en los últimos años en nuestro país @icta-uab.bsky.social www.publico.es/opinion/colu...

Carbon Pricing on the High Seas? The international maritime organization gets close to a carbon tax. If an environmental economist stumbled upon a magic lamp and got one wish from the genie, most of us would know what to ask for—a…

I'm back from vacation (and the huge Oakland No Kings protest). Lots to catch up on posting. In the EI blog today, Jim Sallee has an excellent analysis of the poorly designed, but good direction, of proposed international shipping GHG regulations.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...

What can we do about it?

Wealth tax are growing in popularity, eg in the UK, France and through a G20 plan for a minimum wealth tax on billionaires.

We argue that a wealth tax would do little to reduce inequality-related emissions but would be a valuable source of revenue for decarbonisation.

The impact of wealth inequality on carbon emissions and climate policy Reducing inequality and carbon emissions represent interrelated global challenges. Whereas research has paid considerable attention to income inequality in relation to emissions and climate mitigat...

A more effective way of reducing inequality-related emissions would be to directly regulate carbon intensive consumption like private jets and limit the political influence of elites.

Free eprint link: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/WMBDY...

@icta-uab.bsky.social

Diagram describing the ways that wealth inequality affects carbon emissions. This is through policy influence, high carbon lifestyles of the wealth, status consumption and investment.

How does wealth inequality impact climate change?

My co-authors @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social and @giorgoskallis.bsky.social and I attempt to answer this in a new article in @climate-policy.bsky.social

We identify four mechanisms through which wealth inequality impacts carbon emissions.

New publication examines how pricing instruments in environmental & climate policy perform under bounded rationality & social influence. The case is strengthened for cap-and-trade. We also discuss additional policy instruments under such conditions.
rdcu.be/eLEyR

Daniel Torren wins prestigious award for research on low-carbon transitions Daniel Torren, researcher at ICTA-UAB, has been recognized with the Best PhD Student Article Award by the Journal of Artificial Societies and...

Our researcher Daniel Torren Peraire wins prestigious award for research on low-carbon transitions.🌿

The article is coauthored by @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social and Ivan Savin, from ICTA-UAB

www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...

The climate policies that EU citizens like (and those they don't) European citizens show greater support for climate change mitigation policies that allocate subsidies for rail transport or home insulation,...

🤔 Did you know Europeans support climate policies with subsidies for rail or home insulation, but strongly oppose taxes on polluting behaviors like cars or meat?👎👍

New survey conducted by @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social from ICTA-UAB explores this topic in depth.

www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...

🏙️ Our Perspective Paper is out in Nature Cities!
“The growth-vs-environment debate at the urban scale" — with @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social

📖 Open access: rdcu.be/etaiq
🗞️ Link to the paper: lnkd.in/e9Bra7r9

A review of carbon-pricing studies for developing countries We review studies that assess hypothetical and actual carbon-pricing schemes in developing countries, focused on policy effectiveness in terms of emissions reduction. The article opens with gatheri...

Here is our review of carbon-pricing studies for developing countries. It provides an overview of national modelling as well as of analyses of the international context.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
50 free copies are available here:
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/RVUUF...

🙌 Jim Skea, President of @ipcc.bsky.social met the Catalan climate science community in an event hosted by the Advisory Council for the Sustainable Development of Catalonia.

Our director Isabel Pont & researchers @estevecorbera.bsky.social, @profjeroenbergh.bsky.social and Victoria Reyes took part.

System Complexity Versus Environmental Sustainability: Theory and Policy We discuss the relationship between environmental sustainability and system complexity. This is motivated by the fact that solutions to environmental challenges often create additional complexity in ...

New article on "System complexity vs environmental sustainability":
Solutions to environmental challenges often increase #complexity in the overall socioeconomic system. This hampers achieving #sustainability. We discuss key mechanisms and policy cures.
doi.org/10.1155/cplx...

Adoption of EU rules on the ETS support system to accelerate the use of sustainable aviation fuels The Commission has adopted EU rules for ETS financed support to speed up the use of sustainable aviation fuels.

EU legislation has been adopted today for 20 million EU ETS allowances, estimated at €1.6 billion, to speed up the use of e-fuels and sustainable biofuels for flights where there is also effective carbon pricing #climateaction #polluterpays climate.ec.europa.eu/news-your-vo...