International Programme for Action on Climate

IPAC Home About Dashboard The Climate Monitor Policies in Practice

IPAC Home About Dashboard The Climate Monitor Policies in Practice

Dialogue and mutual learning

Nearly all OECD countries committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 or even earlier. However, no single country holds the key to solving the multitude of challenges in the transition towards an inclusive, green economy. Different situations will require different policy responses. It will be important that countries learn together and from one another:

What has worked well and why?
How can we most efficiently green our economies?
How can we promote an inclusive transition?

This platform offers practical policy examples of how OECD countries and partner economies have addressed the challenge of mitigating climate change in various sectors and at different government levels. The platform compiles policy responses and measures drawn from a broad range of OECD analysis, including country peer reviews. It facilitates knowledge exchange and experience-sharing on innovative approaches. Its ultimate goal is to inspire policy makers, business and civil society to take action to move us towards a net-zero world.

The content of the platform will grow over time based on feedback from users and ongoing OECD work.

Contact [email protected] cc: Nathalie Girouard for more information.

Use the search function below to identify the practices most relevant to you.

Learning together

Norway’s evolving incentives for zero-emission vehicles

In 2021, about two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in Norway were fully electric. Norway’s success in promoting electric vehicles has mainly been driven by generous tax incentives, including the exemption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs)...

07/11/2022

New Zealand’s plans for agricultural emissions pricing

More than half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, representing by far the largest share in the OECD area. While agriculture-related emissions are not included in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme,...

07/11/2022

Germany’s sponge cities to tackle heat and flooding

Germany promotes nature-based solutions to advance climate change adaptation in cities. By imitating the natural water cycle, green roofs, façades and other green spaces absorb the rainwater where it lands, soaking it up like a...

07/11/2022

Austria’s “KlimaTicket” to promote low-carbon mobility

In October 2021, Austria introduced a nationwide climate ticket – “KlimaTicket” – offering nearly unlimited public transport use across the country, with a single ticket for a full year. The country aims to reduce private...

07/11/2022

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07/11/2022

Norway’s evolving incentives for zero-emission vehicles

In 2021, about two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in Norway were fully electric. Norway’s success in promoting electric vehicles has mainly been driven by generous tax incentives, including the exemption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) from the registration tax, VAT and motor fuel taxes, as well as at least a 50% reduction in road taxes, and ferry and parking fees. These fiscal incentives were essential for shifting demand towards ZEVs and increasing their share in the car fleet. Given the success of electric mobility, the government is now working towards building a sustainable vehicle taxation system.

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07/11/2022

New Zealand’s plans for agricultural emissions pricing

More than half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, representing by far the largest share in the OECD area. While agriculture-related emissions are not included in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, the country is set to become the first to price agricultural emissions as of 2025. Agricultural sector leaders and the industry teamed up in a partnership – He Waka Eke Noa (“We are in this together”) – to design a pricing system that ensures that agricultural products remain internationally competitive while reducing emissions.

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07/11/2022

Germany’s sponge cities to tackle heat and flooding

Germany promotes nature-based solutions to advance climate change adaptation in cities. By imitating the natural water cycle, green roofs, façades and other green spaces absorb the rainwater where it lands, soaking it up like a sponge until it can infiltrate into the ground or evaporate. This serves as a natural flood prevention and also helps keep buildings cool, encouraging biodiversity and improving air quality and citizens’ well-being. Many German cities have embarked on greening their buildings.

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07/11/2022

Austria’s “KlimaTicket” to promote low-carbon mobility

In October 2021, Austria introduced a nationwide climate ticket – “KlimaTicket” – offering nearly unlimited public transport use across the country, with a single ticket for a full year. The country aims to reduce private car use by 16% by 2040 and encourages a transition from car-dependent individual transport systems to climate-friendly alternatives. From October 2021 to June 2022, some 170 000 passengers purchased the climate ticket. About two-thirds of customers indicated they started using public transport more frequently and 85% have already replaced car journeys with public transport.

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07/11/2022

Promoting effective and meaningful engagement of indigenous communities in Norway’s Arctic areas

As climate change impacts become more frequent and intense, countries must design climate adaptation strategies that are coherent with potential environmental and social impacts. Both environmental impact assessments and climate adaptation strategies can be better informed by people with knowledge and expertise of local livelihoods. Norway’s consultation processes in the Arctic areas provide an example of meaningful, public participation in the early planning phase that can contribute to improving environmental outcomes and climate resilience of local populations.

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07/11/2022

London’s congestion charge and its low emission zones

London’s Congestion Charge Zone is one of the largest in the world. It was set up nearly two decades ago to discourage road traffic in central London, improve air quality and raise additional resources for public transport. In addition, the City of London introduced the world’s first 24-hour Ultra Low Emission Zone in 2019, covering 4 million people or about a third of the city’s population. While traffic congestion in central London remains a challenge, carbon emissions and other air pollutants from transport have been reduced. A larger share of vehicles in London is cleaner, contributing to London’s commitment to becoming a zero-carbon city by 2030.

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07/11/2022

Germany’s annual sectoral emissions targets

Germany has set an economy-wide emissions reduction target of at least 65% by 2030 and at least 88% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. The country aims to reach climate neutrality by 2045 (five years earlier than the EU target) and achieve negative greenhouse gas emissions after 2050. To achieve its ambitious national climate targets, Germany needs to advance emissions reductions in all sectors. The country has set up annual CO2 emission budgets for six individual sectors until 2030, along with a monitoring and policy adjustment mechanism.

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07/11/2022

The Netherlands’ CO2 Performance Ladder

Initiated in 2009, the CO2 Performance Ladder is a green public procurement instrument that certifies companies’ climate action. The company’s level of commitment is certified by the CO2 Performance Ladder. Bidding companies commit to reducing emissions and receive in turn an award advantage. As it increases its commitments to reducing CO2, the company moves up the Ladder and receives more rewards. The Ladder serves as both a CO2 management system by guiding a company’s climate action, and a public policy instrument through which the government can incentivise climate mitigation.

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07/11/2022

Israel’s sustainable water management plans

Israel is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mounting pressure on already scarce water resources. To provide its rapidly growing economy with sufficient and reliable water, Israel has combined institutional and regulatory reforms with massive infrastructure investment. Large-scale reuse of wastewater and desalination of seawater, along with effective regulatory and price signals, has allowed Israel to gradually reduce overexploitation of freshwater resources and to become more climate resilient.

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07/11/2022

Denmark’s GreenREFORM model to assess the economic and fiscal impacts of climate policies

Denmark has been a frontrunner in implementing green budgeting practices. Drawing on this experience, it is going one step further by developing GreenREFORM, an analytical tool that allows for an integrated and consistent assessment of the environmental and climate effects of economic policies from 2015 to 2100. GreenREFORM is a computable general equilibrium model, which simulates the environmental effects of Danish economic activity and the economic effects of policy interventions. This allows for more rigorous ex ante evaluations of different climate policy options with a view to informing the policy target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% in 2030.

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06/10/2021

The United Kingdom’s pioneering Climate Change Act

The 2008 Climate Change Act is the foundation of United Kingdom’s approach to reducing emissions and preparing for the impact of climate change. Legally binding emissions targets for 2050 and the coming 15 years underpin the framework. The Act is credited with helping the United Kingdom deliver sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

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06/10/2021

The pan-Canadian framework for carbon pricing

The 2016 Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change revolutionised carbon pricing in Canada. It requires all jurisdictions to put their own form of carbon pricing in place or adopt the federal carbon price, which is set to increase over time. Thanks to the framework, more and more greenhouse gas emissions are priced in the country.

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06/10/2021

Australia's green bank to scale up low-carbon investment

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is one of only a handful of national green banks in OECD countries. Its main purpose is to help scale up investment in clean energy projects, thereby contributing to Australia’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The Corporation has helped overcome barriers to private investment in low-emission solutions and cleantech.

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06/10/2021

A Climate Pact to strengthen the role of Luxembourg’s municipalities

The Climate Pact is a co-operative agreement through which local governments commit to implement certain environment- and climate-related measures. In return, they receive government financial and technical assistance, as well as an environmental certification. The Climate Pact has helped improve co-ordination between the central and local governments and encouraged municipalities to take actions in line with national climate mitigation commitments.

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06/10/2021

A credible carbon tax trajectory for Ireland

Ireland introduced a carbon tax in 2010. It gradually increased its rate and extended its scope to all fuels used in sectors not covered by the European-wide cap-and-trade system. The government committed to progressively raise the carbon tax rate to reach EUR 100 per tonne of carbon dioxide by 2030, while recycling revenue to prevent fuel poverty, finance climate-related investment and ensure a just transition. This is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with Ireland’s targets to 2030 and 2050.

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06/10/2021

Innovative mobility services in Finland

Finland has been a front runner in adopting Mobility-as-a-Service. It has actively supported this innovative mobility service through favourable legislation and financial support for service operators. Mobility-as-a-Service can help reverse car dependency and reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by offering seamless access to a sustainable multi-modal transport system.

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06/10/2021

The Danish Energy Agreements towards a carbon-neutral society

Energy Agreements support Denmark’s long-term goal of becoming a carbon neutral society by 2050, a goal first set in 2011 in the Energy Strategy 2050. Energy Agreements successfully helped creating a climate of trust for investors in clean energy and public acceptability to support the consumer prices of such energy.

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06/10/2021

Towards a just transition in Greece's lignite-dependent regions

Phasing out lignite use is one of the key measures for Greece to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, reducing lignite mining and power generation has a social dimension in lignite-producing areas. Greece has developed several initiatives to support economic diversification and creation of new jobs in affected communities regions.

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06/10/2021

Lithuania’s Law on Alternative Fuels

Lithuania adopted a Law on Alternative Fuels in March 2021 to facilitate a green shift in its transport sector by increasing the number of electric vehicles and charging stations, and expanding the use of cleaner fuels. The law is considered a major milestone towards its climate-neutrality targets, as transport is one of the country’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

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06/10/2021

Norway’s Zero-Growth Goal for major urban areas

The Zero-Growth Goal for major urban areas means that any growth in passenger transport shall be absorbed by public transport, cycling and walking. Urban Growth Agreements are in place in four urban areas to implement this goal. There are plans to extend the concept to five more urban areas. The Zero-Growth Goal has helped reduce car traffic volumes in Norway’s major cities. This has contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air and noise pollution and congestion, as well as to improving the quality of life in cities.

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Contact us

For more information, please contact: [email protected], cc: Ms. Nathalie Girouard, Head of the Environmental Performance and Information Division, OECD Environment Directorate.

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