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On 15 June, the German Marshall Fund (GMF) and the US Mission to the European Union hosted a discussion in Brussels on policy roadmaps for a low-carbon economy in Europe and the United States.

The first panel, moderated by Rebecca Collyer from the European Climate Foundation, looked at the policy debate on both sides of the Atlantic. Peter Vis, Head of the Cabinet of Commissioner Connie Hedegaard (DG Climate Action), presented the European Commission’s “Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050”. The goal is to cut CO2 emissions by 80-95% without hampering the EU’s economic competitiveness, a goal that can be achieved with current technologies, if deployment costs are reduced. Michael Potts, CEO of the Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Institute, presented “Reinventing Fire”, his institute’s proposal for a business-based roadmap that attempts to move the U.S. economy off oil and coal by 2050. The proposal identifies potentials for savings in transportation, buildings, industry processes, and energy production and stresses the importance of local energy production and consumption. Elliot Diringer, Vice President for International Strategies at the Pew Center for Global Climate Change, summarized the current state of climate change politics in the United States. He held out the hope for some progress on energy issues in Washington, although cautioned that federal climate change legislation is not likely in the immediate future.   

Four representatives from the private sector responded to the discussion on roadmaps. Walter Pütz, Director for Group Research – MB Cars, at Daimler AG, and Tony van Osselaer, a member of the board of Bayer Material Sciences, both saw enormous potential in moving towards a low-carbon economy while stressing the need for planning security and social acceptance of political measures. Jean Pasternak, Carbon Strategy & Alliances Director at Schneider Electric, noted that political leaders should focus on the prospects of job creation in the green sector for gaining more support from citizens. Brandon Mitchener, Director of Communications at First Solar, thought that the debate on renewable energies needed to rely on better data and that the cost of solar power compared favorably with other technologies. The panelists concluded that for the private sector, investments in infrastructure and policies that are adapted to the reality of different levels of ambition across the world are imperative to effect an economically sustainable transition to a low carbon economy.

Download Peter Vis' presentation: Roadmap for moving to a low carbon economy in 2050

Download Michael Potts' presentation: Reinventing Fire