The European Calculator (EUCalc)

Policy briefs and town hall debates

Driving effective sectoral policies for achieving the overall objectives of the European Green Deal (carbon neutrality in 2050, but also the protection of biodiversity) is a pressing necessity in the months and years to come. It is against this backdrop that a number of policy briefs on pathways towards a European low emission society were produced during the life of the EUCalc project that came to an end in February 2020. The briefs summarise key findings of the project with a clear policy orientation to provide practical climate change mitigation insights to both European and individual Member State decision-makers.

The overarching objective of producing the sectoral briefs was to synthesise and condense policy-relevant information from the EUCalc project’s research outputs and disseminate these in a form that is both interesting and accessible for policy and decision-makers. A total of nine thematic briefs were produced with one devoted specifically to summarising each sector covered by the EUCalc model in response to the question: ‘Is it possible to live in prosperity in Europe while also meeting the net-zero carbon mitigation target by 2050?’

The EUCalc model was developed to bridge the gap between analytical models (that are built by integrating climate-energy-economy) and the practical needs of decision-makers. The model provides an integrated perspective on emissions reduction, the exploitation and conservation of natural resources, job creation, energy production, agriculture, lifestyles/ behavioural choices, costs, air quality, etc. These are brought together through a highly interactive user interface that enables real-time policy support, underpinned by comprehensive trade-off analysis. The model is built on the software platform KNIME, which enables the development of a new generation of 2050 Calculators, especially with handling of complex sectoral and inter-Member State and European Union transboundary relationships, while at the same time allowing for a high level of transparency. Following the examples of previous Calculators, the EUCalc model has been developed under the principle of co-design, driven by close sectoral expert and public consultation cycles.

A highlight of the project was a series of town hall debates across Europe, aimed at identifying the critical enabling components needed to achieve Europe’s medium to long-term decarbonisation objectives. The events were deemed necessary to demonstrate that the EUCalc Transition Pathways Explorer provides the benefit of multiple options and potential pathways for achieving net-zero targets, while minimising wider social-economic and environmental impacts. Participants at the town hall events were encouraged to use the Transition Pathways Explorer to help create their own pathways for Europe and to assess the impacts of their choices at the European and individual Member State levels, providing a unique perspective on the role and potential of the Member States, and European Union as a whole, in meeting global climate mitigation commitments.

The EUCalc project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 730459. For the latest EUCalc developments, follow us on Twitter or sign up to our newsletter via the website.