Lecture on International Climate Policy by ZEW-Economist Martin Kesternich at the University of Mannheim

Three Years After the Paris Agreement – Where Do We Stand in International Climate Policy? This is the topic of Professor Martin Kesternich, deputy head of the ZEW-Research Department “Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management” in his lecture on 12 March 2019 at the University of Mannheim. He was invited to give this speech by the bdvb University Group Mannheim.

The agreement reached at the UN Climate Conference in Paris 2015 (COP 21) was celebrated as a turning point in the history of climate policy. In the agreement, the international community decided to limit global warming to below 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels by joining the efforts of both UN member states and intergovernmental organisations. In his lecture, Professor Kesternich will take a critical look at the developments in international climate policy: Where do we stand today, three years after the Paris Agreement? Shortly after President Trump took office, the USA announced its withdrawal from the agreement due to the high costs for the US economy. And while the international community agreed on climate regulations for the implementation of the Paris goals at the UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice in 2018, negotiations fell well short of expectations. Were the goals set out in the Paris Agreement too ambitious? What challenges will the international community have to meet over the course of the implementation of the Paris Agreement? What will be the role of signatory states, businesses and society in this? How high are expectations for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Chile?

The lecture starts at 7:15 pm at the University of Mannheim (room O 142) and was organized by the bdvb University Group Mannheim. It is open to the public, registration is not required.