Prague Climate Talks 2020 – debates about climate change

Prague Climate Talks is a project aimed at establishing a platform for continued high-level discussion on the complex issue of climate change. Throughout a series of debates it will bring together experts and professionals from varying relevant fields as well as members of the general public.

The upcoming debates will be focused on the following topics:

European Green Deal: will it bring structural change? (May 2020) | Background paper | Report | Debate recording

The EU Green Deal should be the guiding framework for the European Union to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. It is an ambitious package, but it is yet to be seen whether the EU will achieve to turn its vision into reality and bring about the necessary structural transformation to low-carbon economy. What are the key tenets of the EU Green Deal? What sort of investment will the EU Green Deal entail? What implications will it have for sectors such as energy, industry, agriculture or transport?

Just Transition Fund: a chance for Czech coal regions? (June 2020) | Background paper | Report | Debate recording

The European Commission has announces its new financial instrument to help the most carbon-intensive regions transition to low-carbon economy – the Just Transition Fund. It is one of the cornerstones of the European Green Deal and a tool to help the EU reach climate neutrality by 2050. It is also an important political tool that should help get some of the most emitting Member States on board of the EU climate agenda. The Czech Republic should receive 90 billion CZK on top of the regular EU budget. What should the Just Transition Fund be used for in the Czech Republic? How can we best utilize it in our coal regions to move them away from coal and towards renewable, sustainable future?

Climate change: can it unite a divided society? (September 2020) | Background paper l Report l Debate Recording 

As the risks of climate change become more widely recognised and discussed, it also brings about more societal challenges. The scope and global character of the crisis calls for a unified approach. On the other hand, there are many groups that oppose the proposed changes and would rather stick to the status quo. How can we avoid the climate change becoming another dividing issue for our society? What is the difference between the younger generations’ and the older generations’ responses to climate crisis? Is climate change more concerning for women than for men? How can the society overcome its differences and tackle the problem as one?

Financing the transition towards low-carbon economy (October 2020) | Background paper l Report l Debate Recording

The transition to climate neutrality will require an alignment of financial flows with the policy of decarbonisation. There have been some positive developments recently. The EIB pledged to stop financing fossil fuel projects since 2021. The EU taxonomy outlines the criteria for what is considered “green” investment and what is not. Commercial banks and investment groups are divesting from the dirtiest businesses. However, there is still major inconsistencies. At the moment, the global subsidies for fossil fuels are still more than two times higher than those for renewable sources of energy. What is needed to make the transition to net-zero emissions happen? Will the financial shift towards sustainability be enough to avoid the worst scenarios of climate change?

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The project is co-organised by EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in cooperation with Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague and under the auspices of the UN Information Centre Prague.