Our Scans · Climate policy (Europe) · Weekly Summary

• Climate-induced damage to physical assets and reduction in labour productivity could reduce UK GDP by 3% to 4% in 2050, deepening to 7% to 8% by 2070, based on current policy trajectories. GOV.UK
• In the UK, climate-change damages could cost 3% to 4% of UK GDP by 2050, deepening to around 8% by the 2070s based on implementation of current international climate policies. GOV.UK
• Countries must urgently address domestic security threats, whether from radicalized individuals weaponizing vehicles, criminal gangs, economic pressures caused by unsustainable refugee policies, or even climate change that could reshape industries from Marseille to Mongstad. Newsweek
• Dutch climate policy is based on the European ambition to be climate-neutral by 2050, in order to meet the obligations under the Paris Agreement. PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
• The industry in Europe is expected to experience significant growth capturing 25.4% share in 2025, due to its strict climate policies, commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, and robust regulatory support. Polaris
• From 2025 to 2027, the UK is an elected co-chair of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, alongside Brazil, offering an opportunity to share domestic policy experience on reducing emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. Climate Change Committee
• 50% of upland peatlands and 25% of lowland peatlands should be restored to near natural condition by 2050 to meet legally binding UK climate policy. The Guardian
• Despite the outcome of the election in Hungary, far-right nationalist populism is still on the rise, threatening democracy as well as principled, far-sighted policies on climate, energy, trade, technology and migration. The Guardian
• The UK is well-placed to become a world leader in climate change adaptation technologies and services but realising that potential will require deliberate and sustained policy intervention. CETEx
• In Central and Eastern Europe, where fossil fuel dependency is higher, voters may become even more skeptical of ambitious climate policies given the geopolitical risks. Example Inc.
• In Germany, there are some ambitious climate policies that can be followed to reach a net-zero level of emissions in 2045. Custom Market Insights
• Sustaining political support across Europe will require recognizing that member states face very different structural constraints, making a one-size-fits-all approach to climate policy both economically and politically untenable. Example Inc.
• Policy-driven opportunity windows in Europe relate to EU Directives, climate councils, court cases and disasters. Nature
• Future historians will likely record that the most effective climate policy in human history was not a piece of legislation passed in Washington or Brussels, but the geopolitical shock that finally broke the world's psychological addiction to the internal combustion engine. Grafa

Last updated: 03 August 2026