EU and Sustainability: Books at UIUC

Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics by Tim Rayner (Editor), et al. The Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politicsprovides a wide-ranging and in-depth assessment of current and emerging challenges facing the EU in committing to and delivering increasingly ambitious climate policy objectives. It traces the development of climate and energy policies since the early 1990s and examines their continued evolution in the context of the 2019 European Green Deal. With contributions from leading international scholars, it describes the key dynamics driving policy developments and the role of key actors in climate and energy-related policy processes. Covering topics that have previously been relatively neglected, or have recently gained greater significance, such as finance and investment, 'hard to abate' sectors and negative emissions, this timely Handbook offers an up-to-date and unrivalled exploration of the complexities of climate policymaking. It will be of primary interest to academics researching EU politics, and environmental politics, policy, regulation and governance more widely. It will be especially pertinent to students and researchers who require more specialized knowledge of EU climate policy and politics.

Essential EU Climate Law by Edwin Woerdman (Editor), et al. This thoroughly revised second edition provides an up-to-date account of essential EU climate mitigation law, analysing an area that remains one of the most dynamic fields of EU law. Special attention is paid to the energy sector and to the impact of climate law on broader legal issues, such as energy network regulation and human rights. Written by leading scholars of EU climate law from the University of Groningen, the book addresses the relevant directives and regulations, examining their implementation and impact on current policy and academic debate. Chapters guide the reader through key topics including the EU emissions trading system, renewable energy consumption, and carbon capture and storage. Key features of the second edition include: A clear and accessible introduction to EU climate mitigation law Comprehensive coverage of the climate targets and instruments of the EU Special focus on the relationship between climate law and energy law New classroom questions to stimulate further discussion and debate Educational design based on reviews by climate law students and lecturers. Combining educational design and analytical accuracy, this book will be an indispensable guide for both students and professionals. It is highly recommended for courses on EU climate mitigation law, as well as climate law, energy law, environmental law and EU law.

Environmental Policy in the EU by Andrew Jordan (Editor); Viviane Gravey (Editor) The European Union (EU) has a hugely important effect on the way in which environmental policies are framed, designed and implemented in many parts of the world, but especially Europe. The new edition of this leading textbook provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the EU's environmental policies. Comprising five parts, Environmental Policy in the EU covers the rapidly changing context in which EU environmental policies are made, the key actors who interact to co-produce them and the most salient dynamics of policy making, ranging from agenda setting and decision making, through to implementation and evaluation. Written by leading international experts, individual chapters examine how the EU is responding to a multitude of different challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, energy insecurity, and water and air pollution. They tease out the different ways in which the EU's policies on these topics co-evolve with national and international environmental policies. In this systematically updated fourth edition, a wider array of learning features are employed to ensure that readers fully understand how EU environmental policies have developed over the last 50 years and how they are currently adapting to the rapidly evolving challenges of the twenty-first century, including the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying environmental policy and politics, climate change, environmental law and EU politics more broadly. The Open Access versions of chapters 19 and 20, available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429402333, have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

EU Green Deal and its Implementation by Christiane Trüe (editor), Lydia Scholz (editor) Climate change mitigation and the Green Deal will remain a central topic for the EU. As a major historical contributor to greenhouse gases, it has the opportunity to reverse this trend of ever more emissions, including by providing a model to leapfrog the carbon age: EU funding and the assessment of state aid and competition law; legal Instruments, including technical standardisation, criminal law sanctions and market-based measures, such as tax incentives or the future extension of emissions trading to consumers; education; the external dimension, a potential new green hegemony and the CBAM; social aspects; climate rights enforcement; and issues arising in specific sectors, including energy, transport, public procurement, urban planning and migration.

Sustainable and Circular Management of Resources and Waste Towards a Green Deal by Majeti Narasimha Vara Prasad (Editor); Marzena Smol (Editor) Sustainable and Circular Management of Resources and Waste Towards a Green Deal highlights the importance of resource recovery, phosphorus management, climate action, clean energy transition, and a circular economy. The world is facing significant challenges, including climate disruption, environmental changes, pollution, and population explosion. Sustainable management of finite natural resources within the carrying capacity of the bio-geo-hydrosphere is the crux of transforming the global economy for a sustainable future. Moreover, keeping raw materials in circulation as long as possible and minimizing the amount of waste generated has grown in significance as a part of transitioning to a circular economy (CE) model.

Towards a Climate-Neutral Europe by Jos Delbeke (Editor); Peter Vis (Editor) This book explains the EU's climate policies in an accessible way, to demonstrate the step-by-step approach that has been used to develop these policies, and the ways in which they have been tested and further improved in the light of experience. The latest changes to the legislation are fully explained throughout. The chapters throughout this volume show that no single policy instrument can bring down greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge facing the EU, as for many countries that have made pledges under the Paris Agreement, is to put together a toolbox of policy instruments that is coherent, delivers emissions reductions, and is cost-effective. The book stands out by the fact it covers the EU's emissions trading system, the energy sector and other economic sectors, including their development in the context of international climate policy. This accessible book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policy makers alike. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9789276082569, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.    

The EU and Global Climate Justice by Franziskus von Lucke, et al. This book examines the European Union (EU)'s contribution to the development of the global climate regime within the broader framework of global justice. It argues that the procedural dimension of justice has been largely overlooked so far in the assessment of EU climate policy and reveals that the EU has significantly contributed to the development of the climate regime within its broader efforts to 'solidarise' international society. At the same time, the book identifies deficits of the climate regime and limits to the EU's impact, and explains why the EU policy towards global climate change has shifted over time. Finally, it argues that these policies should not be assessed in terms of being wholly positive or wholly negative, but that they are shot through with ambiguities. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students, and practitioners of climate change, climate politics, and environmental and climate justice studies, and more broadly to EU Studies and International Relations.

Emerging Governance of a Green Economy by Jenny Fairbrass (Editor); Nicholas Vasilakos (Editor) The idea of building an economy which supports sustainable development without degrading the environment has been widely debated and broadly embraced by politicians, civil servants, the media, academics and the public alike for several decades. This book explores the measures being trialled at various levels of governance in the European region to reduce the adverse impacts of human behaviour on the environment whilst simultaneously addressing society's economic and social needs as part of the intended shift towards a 'green' economy. It includes European case studies that scrutinise the efforts being undertaken at sub-national, national and regional tiers of governance to facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy. This book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers working in environmental governance, European studies, environmental studies, political science, and management studies.

The Transformation of the European Union by Xira Ruiz-Campillo (Editor) The EU has undergone a deep transformation in the last 25 years. The goals adopted by the EU at the international level in climate negotiations have led to the internal adoption of goals by the EU member States. The book examines the changes experienced by the European Union that have gone on in parallel to its leadership in climate negotiations since 1992 and analyses whether combating climate change has contributed to the transformation of European policies.The book takes an in-depth look at the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions reduction goals adopted by European states, the leadership of the EU in climate negotiations, the creation of the Energy Union, the commitment to a model of sustainable development, the promotion of a circular economy and the enhancement of cities, as relevant actors in the reduction of emissions and boosting of sound environmental practices.

Research Handbook on EU Environmental Law by Marjan Peeters (Editor); Mariolina Eliantonio (Editor) The European Union has succeeded in bringing into force an impressive package of regulatory measures aiming to provide a high level of environmental protection across the EU. As a result, scholars, students and practitioners are confronted with the challenge of gaining insight into this complex legislative framework and its effects. This wide-ranging Research Handbook investigates a multitude of substantive issues including waste, nature conservation, air pollution, water quality protection, chemical substantives and genetically modified organisms. Based on contributions developed by 40 environmental law scholars, this comprehensive Research Handbook discusses how the EU has used its regulatory power to steer towards environmentally friendly behaviour, delving into the deep concerns related to the compliance with and enforcement of EU environmental law. It also highlights the important role of civil society?s use of environmental procedural rights, and characterizes how the CJEU case law has contributed to the effective implementation of EU environmental legislation. Shedding light on the institutional, horizontal and sectoral dimensions of EU environmental law, the Research Handbook on EU Environmental Law will be a key resource for environmental law scholars both in the EU and worldwide, whilst also being of value to environmental law practitioners working in EU member states.

European Futures by Chad Damro (Editor); Elke Heins (Editor); Drew Scott (Editor) This edited volume explores the opportunities and challenges facing the European Union in the future from different disciplines and assesses the EU's prospects across various policy areas. Using the European Commission's 2017 White Paper presenting five different scenarios for the future of Europe to 2050 as an organising framework for analysis and debate, the volume reflects upon the drivers of the EU's future, including its changing place in an evolving world, a transformed economy and society, heightened threats and concerns about security and borders, and questions of trust and legitimacy. The concluding chapter summarises and compares the findings to determine which of the scenarios is the most instructive to understand and plan European Futures to 2050, and beyond. This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of European integration, EU politics/studies, and more broadly international relations, as well as European policy-makers.

EU Climate Policy Explained by Jos Delbeke (Editor); Peter Vis (Editor) The EU has been the region of the world where the most climate policies have been implemented, and where practical policy experimentation in the field of the environment and climate change has been taking place at a rapid pace over the last twenty-five years. This has led to considerable success in reducing pollution, decoupling emissions from economic growth and fostering global technological leadership. The objective of the book is to explain the EU's climate policies in an accessible way, to demonstrate the step-by-step approach that has been used to develop these policies, and the ways in which they have been tested and further improved in the light of experience. The book shows that there is no single policy instrument that can bring down greenhouse gas emissions, but the challenge has been to put a jigsaw of policy instruments together that is coherent, delivers emissions reductions, and is cost-effective. The book differs from existing books by the fact it covers the EU's emissions trading system, the energy sector and other economic sectors, including their development in the context of international climate policy. Set against the backdrop of the 2015 UN Climate Change conference in Paris, this accessible book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policy makers alike.

Durable by Design? by Andrew J. Jordan; Brendan Moore Following the landmark Paris agreement, policy makers are under pressure to adopt policies that rapidly deliver deep, society-wide decarbonisation. Deep decarbonisation requires more durable policies, but not enough is known about if and how they actually emerge. This book provides the first systematic analysis of the determinants of policy durability in three high-profile areas: biofuel production, car transport, and industrial emissions. It breaks new ground by exploring how key European Union climate policies have shaped their own durability and their ability to stimulate supportive political dynamics in society. It combines state-of-the-art policy theories with empirical accounts of landmark political events such as 'Dieselgate' and the campaign against 'dirty' biofuels, to offer a fresh understanding of how and why policy makers set about packaging together different elements of policy. By shining new light on an important area of contemporary policy making, it reveals a rich agenda for academic researchers and policy makers.

The Economic Superorganism by Carey King Energy drives the economy, economics informs policy, and policy affects social outcomes. Since the oil crises of the 1970s, pundits have debated the validity of this sequence, but most economists and politicians still ignore it. Thus, they delude the public about the underlying influence of energy costs and constraints on economic policies that address such pressing contemporary issues as income inequality, growth, debt, and climate change.  To understand why, Carey King explores the scientific and rhetorical basis of the competing narratives both within and between energy technology and economics. Energy and economic discourse seems to mirror Newton's 3rd Law of Motion: For every narrative there is an equal and opposite counter-narrative. The competing energy narratives pit "drill, baby, drill!" against renewable technologies such as wind and solar.  Both claim to provide secure, reliable, clean, and affordable energy to support economic growth with the most benefit to society, but how? To answer this question, we need to understand the competing economic narratives, techno-optimism and techno-realism.  Techno-optimism claims that innovation overcomes any physical resource constraints and enables the social outcomes and economic growth we desire. Techno-realism, in contrast, states that no matter what energy technologies we use, feedbacks from physical growth on a finite planet constrain economic growth and create an uneven distribution of social impacts. In The Economic Superorganism, you will discover stories, data, science, and philosophy to guide you through the arguments from competing narratives on energy, growth, and policy. You will be able to distinguish the technically possible from the socially viable, and understand how our future depends on this distinction.   

Green Planet Blues by Ken Conca; Geoffrey D. Dabelko Revised and updated throughout, this unique anthology examines global environmental politics from a range of perspectives: contemporary and classic, activist and scholarly, and reflecting voices of the powerless and powerful. Paradigms of sustainability, environmental security, and ecological justice illustrate the many ways environmental problems and their solutions are framed in contemporary international debates about climate, water, forests, toxics, energy, food, biodiversity, and other environmental challenges of the twenty-first century. Organized thematically, the selections offer a truly global scope. Fourteen new readings discuss globalization and environmental change; transnational activist networks; the UN Environment Programme; environment-conflict linkages, including the case of Darfur; environmental peacebuilding; the debate on greening foreign aid; and the linkages between climate change and human rights. This book stresses the underlying questions of power, interests, authority, and legitimacy that shape environmental debates, and it provides readers with a global range of perspectives on the critical challenges facing the planet and its people.

Europe's Energy Transition by Manuel Welsch Europe's Energy Transition: Insights for Policy Making looks at the availability and cost of accessing energy and how it significantly affects economic growth and competitiveness in global markets. The results in this book, from a European Commission (EC) financed project by INSIGHT_E, provide an overview of the most recent analyses, focusing on energy markets and their implications for society. Designed to inform European policymaking, elements of this book will be integrated into upcoming EC policies, giving readers invaluable insights into the cost and availability of energy, the effect of price increases affecting vulnerable consumer groups, and current topics of interest to the EC and ongoing energy debate. INSIGHT_E provides decision-makers with unbiased policy advice and insights on the latest developments, including an assessment of their potential impact. Presents answers to strategic questions posed by the European Commission Coherently assesses the energy transition, from policies to energy supply, markets, system requirements, and consumer needs Informed the EC "Clean Energy for All Europeans" package from end of 2016, e.g., regarding aspects of energy poverty Endorsed by thought leaders from within and outside of Europe, including utilities, energy agencies, research institutes, journal editors, think tanks, and the European Commission

Transition Pathways Towards Sustainability in Agriculture by Lee Ann Sutherland (Editor), et al. This book focuses on understanding farming transition pathways towards sustainability, using case studies from Europe. It assesses the utility of the multi-level perspective in transition theory for addressing contemporary issues and identifies future research needs, making it an essential read for researchers of rural or agricultural change.

Biodiversity Offsets by Marianne Darbi (Editor), et al. This book deals with the new concept of biodiversity offsets. The aim of offsetting schemes is to achieve no let loss or even net gain of biodiversity. Offsets obey a mitigation hierarchy and reflect the precautionary and polluter-pays principle in regard to project impacts. Readers gain insights into current debates on biodiversity policies, with top experts outlining theoretical principles and the latest research findings. At the same time the focus is on practical application and case studies. Today there is a lively international discussion among practitioners and scientists on the optimal legal framework, metrics and design of habitat banks to ensure the success of biodiversity offsets and to minimise the risks of failure or misuse. Contributing to the debate, this volume presents the activities and practices of biodiversity offsetting already implemented in Europe in selected EU member states, and the lessons that can be learnt from them. Readers may be surprised at how much experience already exists in these countries. A further aim of the book is to offer grounded insights on the road ahead, and foster a more intensive and fruitful discussion on how offsetting can be extended and improved upon, so that it becomes a key and effective component of Europe's biodiversity conservation policy framework.