- Assessment: Effective climate intervention relies on the right combination of strategies
Despite numerous climate protection measures being implemented worldwide over the past 20 years, due to regulations, subsidies, or price incentives, it's frequently challenging to determine which ones are actually effective. Recent research reveals that only 63 out of 1,500 worldwide climate measures implemented in the last two decades have resulted in substantial emission reductions.
A reduction of at least 5 to 10 percent was considered significant, with an average value of 19% in successful cases.
Commonalities among these successes, as reported in the journal "Science", are the utilization of tax and price incentives and the employing a blend of strategies. Lead author Annika Stechemesser from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) explains, "Our findings clearly demonstrate that the success of climate measures relies on the appropriate combination of tools."
More isn't always better
The study suggests that relying solely on subsidies or regulation isn't enough. "More isn't always better," argues Nicolas Koch, another lead author from PIK and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC).
Bans, such as those on coal-fired power plants in the electricity sector or on combustion engine cars in transport, provide examples of this: The researchers found no instances where such bans alone resulted in significant emission reductions. Only when combined with tax and price incentives did they prove successful.
For this study, the research team led by PIK and MCC assessed 1,500 climate measures from 41 countries across 6 continents from 1998 to 2022.
Different countries, different approaches
A blend of measures is particularly effective in economically developed countries. For instance, in Germany, the eco-tax reform in 1999 and the truck toll in 2005 are identified as successful measures in the transport sector. This is the only combination that has so far led to significant emission reductions in Germany.
Other countries opt for a different variety of measures: For example, the USA improves traffic by providing tax incentives, subsidies for eco-friendly vehicles, and CO2 efficiency standards.
In the UK, the combination of a CO2 minimum price, subsidies for renewable energy, and a coal phase-out plan proved successful in the electricity sector.
In Sweden, the combination of CO2 pricing and funding programs for renovations and heating system replacements was effective in the building sector.
Measures cannot be replicated 1:1
The results can be used to determine best practices. "Across sectors like buildings, electricity, industry, and transport, and in both developed as well as often overlooked developing countries," says Koch.
Although the measures from different countries cannot be directly copied into other contexts, the successful measure combinations could serve as a guide for similarly developed countries, suggests Stechemesser. "We believe that this orientational knowledge is of great importance to support policy and society in the transition towards climate neutrality."
Germany has been successful in reducing emissions in the transport sector with the implementation of the eco-tax reform in 1999 and the introduction of the truck toll in 2005.
Despite varied approaches, successful climate measures in different countries often involve a blend of strategies, such as those employed in Germany.
