Conference Agenda

For the first time there are exciting developments underway in climate policy for agriculture and LULUCF for Europe. As this evolves, it will create very important opportunities for economists to contribute and help maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of what is emerging. This will be enhanced if it includes insights from other jurisdictions. This session aims to help our profession know in real time what is emerging in the EU and elsewhere in the hope that it will animate their engagement.

The EU policies enacted or imminent include: requirements by food and other firms to report their emissions, including Scope 3 (farm level) under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (EU); the certification of carbon removals under the Union Certification Framework for Carbon Removals; helping ensure that consumers have credible information on the climate performance of firms, and creating legal sanctions for claims that prove to be spurious under the Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive. The most significant policy under consideration is the creation of an emissions trading scheme for agriculture, following the publication of a report thereon commissioned by DG Clima (Trinomics, 2023) - Looking at how to mitigate emissions from agriculture - European Commission (europa.eu). At member state level, interesting developments include the French government’s “Label Bas Carbone”, Danish progress on carbon performance labelling of food and its biomethane programme, and progress by some dairy cooperatives in Ireland in paying farmers for performance.

Significant developments elsewhere include the implementation of performance-based policies – subsidies in California since 2015 and a proposed levy on emissions in New Zealand.

The Policy session will aim to provide: a basis for discussion of the policies already or about to be enacted (because this is evolving rapidly, the session will capture in real time what the reality is in July 1-4, 2024), with a main focus on emissions trading. It will also include some of the most interesting developments outside the EU.

Panelists:

Frank J Convery, Adjunct Professor, University College, Dublin: Chair: Climate Policy for Ruminant Agriculture in Ireland blog -- UCD Earth Institute

Christian Holzleitner, Head of Unit: European Commission: Land Economy & Carbon Removals (CLIMA.C.3)

Peter Wehrheim, Head of Unit: European Commission: Bioeconomy & Food Systems (RTD.B.2)

Catherine Geslain-Laneelle, Director: European Commission: Strategy & Policy analysis (AGRI.A)

Gijs Schilthuis, Head of Unit: European Commission: Policy perspectives (AGRI.A.1)

Artur Runge-Metzger, Fellow, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, Berlin

Britt Groosman, Vice President, Climate Smart Agriculture, Environmental Defense Fund