Climate policies?In 20 years "only 63 out of 1,500 were effective" in significantly reducing greenhouse gases

The study led by the Potsdam Institute redraws the impact of efforts to limit climate change:«The mix of measures, taxes and incentives is functional»

It might sound like a final sentence, but it isn't.The new study published on Science and led by the Potsdam Institute and the Mercator Research Institute, has in fact decreed that in 20 years of policies to combat climate change "only 63 interventions out of 1,500" have been effective in significantly reducing greenhouse gases.The survey should not be interpreted as a failure of the environmental policies conducted so far, but as a point from which to start again in a more conscious way to limit the impact of climate change.

The mix of measures has a greater impact:taxes plus incentives

The research focuses on the climate impact of around 1,500 policies implemented by the governments of 41 countries between 1998 and 2022 to limit the effects of climate change.What is more functional are those maneuvers that combine multiple measures together, incentives and taxes, and not just restrictive or lenient policies.«Our data shows that many policies do not necessarily equate to better results:fundamental, however, is the right mix of measures – declared Nicolas Koch at the head of the researchers – For example, subsidies or regulations alone are not sufficient.Only in combination with price-based instruments, such as carbon and energy taxes, can they deliver substantial emissions reductions."

Successful models include electricity generation in the UK and cars in Norway which have implemented the right mix of reforms.The scholars' analysis also made use of artificial intelligence as well as the most well-tested statistical tools.Other examples cited in the study are those offered by China and the United States:the first has significantly reduced emissions in the country in the space of a few years thanks to the wise use of emissions trading, the reduction of subsidies for fossil fuels and greater incentives for energy efficiency;Washington instead combined tax incentives and subsidies for low-emission vehicles while setting new carbon dioxide efficiency standards.