System of providing and disseminating information in order to support the strategic implementation of climate policy

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The EU set a goal of achieving a 20% reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020 and 40% by 2030. These targets are to be achieved by countries that differ in terms of their affluence and technological and economic capacity to take action to protect the climate. Therefore, a generalised decision-making process does not always meet the criteria of efficiency, effectiveness and equity at both the European and national levels. As a consequence, GHG emission reductions are lower and more expensive than they could be. There is a need to develop tools and implement policies that stimulate emission reductions in line with a country’s economic situation. To attain this goal, it is necessary to acquire qualitative and quantitative climate protection information and to ensure that this information reaches relevant decision-makers. Such information would include the cost and emission reduction effects of different national climate policy implementation scenarios, in key sectors and across the whole economy, accompanied by a set of modelling tools. This will ensure the provision of best available information about the possible effects of new policies, and contribute to a better understanding of combined policy effects.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the LIFE Climate CAKE PL project is to develop a sustainable and comprehensive system for creating and exchanging information, to support the efficient implementation of EU climate and energy policies. Such a system will support decision-making processes and enhance the potential competences of relevant administrations to implement those policies, in particular GHG emission reductions and the transition towards a low-emission economy in Poland.

Specifically, the project aims to:

Provide high-quality information about the impacts of measures implemented under EU energy and climate policies, using analytical tools developed as part of the project;

Deliver this high-quality information to public administrations, private entities and the general public;

Build a comprehensive toolkit, based on a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model combined with interlinked sectoral models (energy, transport and agriculture), for assessing the measures proposed at Member State and EU levels, taking into account a country’s sectoral dimensions; and

Raise the environmental awareness of the public, with particular consideration given to climate and energy policies, by widely disseminating the project information.

 

The Centre for Climate and Energy Analyses (CAKE in its Polish acronym) will be established to help achieve these objectives and to guarantee the sustainability of the project. CAKE will comprise a team of experts, to use the analytical toolkit and to further develop analyses and support the stakeholder network, with the aim of continuously generating information to assist in decision-making beyond the completion of the project.

Expected results:

Information and data on EU climate policy impacts, and a comprehensive and consistent toolkit for assessing the effects of climate policy measures, including sectorial dimensions (energy, transport and agriculture);

Improved awareness of information availability, a sustainable system for the transfer of information to target audiences, and raised level of awareness of mechanisms, and the effectiveness and efficiency of EU climate policy, among stakeholders and the public;

At least 20 employees with greater knowledge of the modelling findings and direct knowledge of the project results during meetings and workshops, through analyses and other deliverables;

At least five decision-making employees in governmental entities actively participating in the work of the project, and appointed members of the project’s steering committee;

Increased satisfaction through appropriate access to useful and quality information in the fields tackled before and after the project, through targeted surveys;

At least five ministries implementing outcomes of CAKE modelling into policy-making processes in the climate, energy, agriculture and transport areas;

Results of the project applied to at least three policy documents; and

Creation, testing and implementation of a computable general equilibrium model, enabling policy integration to be achieved and projections generated in other Member States.