The Green Side of Liberalism
Readings on Green Topics from a Liberal Perspective

16.07.2024

8.6 Minutes

Unlock the Green Revolution: A Liberal Perspective on Environmental Sustainability

From in-depth analyses on carbon pricing and green investments to inspiring case studies on renewable energy and corporate responsibility, these publications offer a comprehensive look at how liberalism can drive meaningful environmental change. Whether you're an environmental enthusiast, policy maker, or curious reader, our collection provides valuable insights and actionable ideas to help build a greener, more sustainable future.

Get ready to be informed, inspired, and empowered. Click the link to explore our green topics collection and join the conversation on how we can harness the power of liberalism to protect our planet.

Climate Resilience

Heat, drought, heavy rainfall: The effects of climate change are already noticeable all over the world. Cities are particularly affected by this development. In our new study, we present innovative ways for cities to address the challenges of climate change. The study focuses specifically on activities in the Global South, providing extensive experience with extreme events such as heatwaves and heavy rainfall.

Climate Change and Security Dynamics in Southeastern Europe

In recent years, climate change has increasingly come to
the forefront of public discourse and has climbed policy
agendas across the globe. Yet, its direct impact and implications
for the security sector remain a relatively novel area
of policy-oriented research, expanding the scope of defence
and security policy beyond traditional military operations.
Climate-related risks not only pose new challenges but also
aggravate existing threats to security. They can change the
dynamics and response strategies in existing conflicts or
lead to breakouts of instability, especially in regions marked
by significant diversity, latent insurgency and competing
geopolitical forces. Southeastern Europe (SEE) is one such
region often described as the contact point between East
and West, North and South. It also serves as a gateway to
Europe from regions such as North Africa and the Middle
East. Furthermore, its geopolitical significance has turned it
into the playground of global competition where the transatlantic
activity of the European Union (EU) and NATO meets
the economic interests as well as security aspirations of
Russia, and increasingly China.

Climate Change and Migration

Climate variations in the regions, climate change as a source of human displacements and as a risk multiplier in human displacement in West Africa, Maghreb and the Sahel region, are the central themes addressed by the publication by FNF Madrid and IEMed “Climate change: understanding factors, developing opportunities in the Sahel Zone, West Africa and the Maghreb”, which will be presented during the event. The project developed together with IEMed explores new perspectives on one of the main drivers on migration flows for the upcoming decades in the region.

A New Climate: The Impact of Russia's War on a Melting Arctic

The strategic importance of the Arctic is increasing dramatically, not least because of changing geopolitical realities due to climate change and a growing system competition. This also affects security dynamics in the Arctic. In addition to existing competition for access and influence in the region, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is also having an impact on regional geopolitics and cooperation in the Arctic. In particular, the relationship between Russia and China needs to be monitored.

Regional Energy Security

Energiesicherheit ist ein Schlüsselfaktor für die Widerstandsfähigkeit der Ukraine und Europas gegen die russische Aggression. Die Energieversorung zu kappen ist ein Kernelement russischer Angriffstaktik -- einerseits, um die Ukraine zu demoralisieren, andererseits, und die Einigkeit des Westens bei der Unterstützung der ukrainischen Verbraucherproteste zu brechen. Wie konnte die Energieversorgung in kürzester Zeit widerhergestellt und gesichert werden? Welche Maßnahmen haben die Ukraine und Moldau, welche die EU unternommen? Welche Rolle spielt Dezentralisierung in der Versorgung, wie können innovative und nachhaltige Energiequellen zu Energiesicherheit beitragen?

Energy Transition and Food Security

Energy supplies and energy shortage have become a global issue since the Ukraine Russia war. However, for South Asia, energy supplies have been an issue even before the war. In December 2022 we invited Mr. Mujtaba Khan, CEO Reon Energy Pakistan, and Mr. Navam Niles, Research Consultant, Centre of Poverty Analysis, Sri Lanka, for an online web talk titled “Impact of the Ukraine-Russia War on Energy Transition and Food Security in Debt Ridden South Asian Nations“. With moderator Dr. Gareth Price, panellists and participants discussed relevant issues ranging from the impact of global markets on the region to the severe national energy and political crises in 2022 in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka and their inter-linkages.

Green-Taping the Single Market

During the last legislative period, the EU decided to play a stronger role in the fight against climate change and social as well as environmental sustainability. Through unilateral measures such as the Supply Chain Directive, the Conflict Minerals Regulation, the Deforestation regulation, CBAM and the import ban on products from forced labor it becomes evident that international cooperation and the participation of trading partners is no longer at the forefront of EU trade policy. The study “Green-Taping the single market: Walling-Off or gates to sustainable globalization?” summarizes all of these sustainability initiatives. It describes the interplay with the World Trade Organization and outlines their potential impact on EU foreign policy as well as its economy.

The European Green Deal and the African Private Sector

This paper highlights the increasing strategic importance Africa plays in allowing the EU to realize its European Green Deal (EGD), with a focus on Africa’s potential to supply the renewable energy and minerals required for the EU to achieve its netzero targets. It then showcases opportunities the EGD offers the African private sector and how available finance and support for technology development, transfer and capacity-building can be utilized in this regard.

GREEN TECH IN GEORGIA

Green technology has become increasingly important in the face of climate change and environmental degradation. Georgia, a country located in the Caucasus region, has the potential to become a regional leader in green tech, given its abundance of natural resources and strategic location. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the current situation of green tech in Georgia and globally, including its challenges and opportunities.
Additionally, the paper puts forth policy recommendations to promote the growth of the green tech sector in Georgia and highlights the importance of green tech as a key driver of sustainable development in the country based on World Bank Group sources.
In the current global climate crisis, urgent action is needed to promote sustainability and reduce carbon emissions. Clean technology, also known as a green technology, is emerging as a key solution to this problem.

For liberals private property is a defining characteristic of a free society. In our seminar "Liberal, Property and the Environment" we explored how the concept of private property might conceivably be a solution to problems as diverse as pollution, land degradation, overfishing, deforestation, species extinction and waste.

In today's episode of IAF TALK Bettina Solinger has gathered the experts from our seminar "The Future of Market Economy" around a big table in the Academy to have an intensive talk about markets and the environment, and to tackle some important questions: why property rights are important for innovation, why some ideas that are brilliant on the paper but won't work in reality, how developing countries are dealing with climate change and, of course, if the economy is actually able to protect the environment.

The Green Side of Liberalism
Readings on Green Topics from a Liberal Perspective