Study identifies 63 effective policies to combat climate change

South Pickenham windfarm on a frosty January morning — The UK has made very successful progress in the electricity sector. Image: Mark Boughen/Shutterstock

A comprehensive analysis of global climate policies has identified 63 instances where these policies achieve significant emissions reductions

In a groundbreaking study published in Science, researchers have unveiled a comprehensive analysis of global climate policies, identifying 63 instances where these policies achieved significant emissions reductions. The findings, the result of a first-of-its-kind analysis conducted by researchers at Oxford University, offer a much-needed roadmap for policymakers worldwide.

The research, led by ‘climate econometricians‘ from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, and the University of Oxford, examined 1,500 observed policies documented in a novel OECD climate policy database. By using a sophisticated methodology, the researchers were able to measure the ’emission breaks’ that followed policy interventions, providing a clear assessment of their effectiveness.

While the overall results were sobering – only 63 policies out of 1,500 were found to have a substantial impact – the study also offered a glimmer of hope. The researchers discovered that policymakers can learn from these successful cases to get back on track towards meeting the ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Accord.

The data has been made available to policy-makers across the world, and researchers have produced a sector by sector, country by country data visualisation in a dashboard.

UK and US: Mixed results

The country-by-country analysis revealed that the UK has made significant strides in the electricity sector, particularly following the introduction of a carbon price floor (which imposed a minimum price for UK power producers) in mid-2013. However, in other sectors, the UK has seen limited success in reducing emissions through policy interventions.

The US, on the other hand, has made progress in the transport sector, particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis. While this is a positive example for climate policy globally, the lack of similar successes in other sectors highlights the challenges that remain, especially in the power sector and industry.

Key Findings and Recommendations

The researchers concluded that climate policies are most effective when implemented as part of a policy mix, rather than in isolation. Additionally, developed and developing countries have different policy needs, with carbon pricing being more effective in developed nations and regulation being more powerful in developing countries.

Perhaps most importantly, the study found that focusing on the 63 effective climate policies could close the emissions gap by 26-41 per cent, making a significant contribution to meeting the Paris Agreement targets.

A Path Forward

The researchers emphasized that the data and analysis provided in this study offer a valuable resource for policymakers worldwide. By scaling up the successful policies identified in the research, countries can accelerate their efforts to mitigate climate change. As Ebba Mark, a co-author of the study, stated: ‘Meeting the Paris Climate objectives necessitates decisive policy action, and this research shows the way.’