International conference on environmental taxes and climate finance

Starting today, the 27th Global Conference on Environmental Taxation (GCET27) will bring together researchers, policymakers and experts from various countries for three days in Berlin to discuss the role of fiscal instruments in international climate policy. PIK researchers Matthias Kalkuhl and Jan Steckel organised the conference at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and keynote speakers include PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer, Carolyn Fischer (World Bank) and Anant Sudarshan (University of Warwick).

The focus is on the economic design of environmental taxes and carbon pricing, as well as the legal, institutional and political aspects of implementation. Case studies and contributions from various countries will facilitate an international exchange of experiences – on which approaches work, what political and administrative hurdles have been encountered, and what lessons can be learnt from existing systems in other countries.

 “Kreiser Prize” goes to Peter Liese

A particular focus this year is on sectors whose emissions are difficult to attribute to individual countries: a dedicated panel will address extraterritorial taxation of aviation and maritime transport, as well as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The conference will also discuss how environmental taxes, carbon pricing and subsidy reforms can mobilise financial resources for climate action and adaptation, and strengthen international cooperation. The second day of the conference will be devoted in particular to the topic of “Climate finance and just transition”.

In addition, the “Kreiser Prize” – named after the US scholar Larry Kreiser, the founder of the conference series – will be awarded on the first day of the conference. The organisers are honouring EU parliamentarian Peter Liese with this prize. PIK Director Edenhofer explains: “As lead rapporteur in the European Parliament, Peter Liese has worked with great dedication to improve and expand the EU Emissions Trading System.” The award is intended to recognise this achievement and highlight the importance of the world’s largest emissions trading system for global climate policy.