Connecting ambition to climate policy action

A recent OECD-led survey shows that while households are willing to adjust their behaviour for the benefit of the environment, governments need to do a lot more to encourage more sustainable choices.

Of the more than 17,000 households surveyed across 9 countries in the EPIC Survey, two thirds (65%) of households indicate that they are willing to make personal compromises to their lifestyles for the benefit of the environment.

However, for many respondents, these compromises should not entail a financial cost; 63% of respondents agreed that environmental policies should not impose extra money. Approximately 40% of respondents agreed with both these statements, pointing to a likely challenge for governments in implementing demand-side measures.

Making environmentally friendly options more affordable and convenient is key, for example by improving public transport through more frequent services, better network coverage and lower fares.

Equally, it is important to ensure that greener alternatives are not confined to small segments of the population, such as higher-income households, homeowners, and those living in detached houses, but are also accessible for lower-income households, tenants and those living in apartments.

The ongoing UN 2023 Water Conference bringing together world leaders in New York is a reminder of the importance of water for the well-being of societies, economies and ecosystems.

Climate change is inherently linked to the water cycle. Warmer temperatures are changing evaporation rates and rainfall patterns, increasing the frequency of droughts and floods. Drier land also affects the capacity of soils and plants to store carbon.

Pressures on freshwater resources are mounting: the OECD projects that by 2050, global water demand will rise by 55%, and 40% of the world’s population will likely be living in severely water-stressed river basins.

Among other things, freshwater availability is affected by water abstractions (taking water from lakes, rivers and underground sources), with over-abstraction leading to low river flows, depleted groundwater, and desertification.

Well-designed allocation regimes are needed across sectors to ensure water is allocated where it can create the most value economically, socially and environmentally.

Investment in renewable technologies and batteries is growing around the globe, driven by the need to decarbonise our economies and increasingly competitive prices.

But these technologies do not come at zero cost for the environment: they require vast amounts of minerals, often mined from ecologically sensitive areas like primary forests.

A net-zero scenario would quadruple the amount of minerals required to generate power. The growing role of batteries also poses challenges: a typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car.

This raises a series of critical questions about supply, price stability, corruption, and costs to health and the environment.

Experts are looking at potential solutions, including more sustainable supply chains, the implementation of safety nets to stabilise prices, and strengthened energy efficiency policy.