organized by Dr. habil. Berthold Kuhn (FU Berlin), Prof. Kurt Hübner (University of British Columbia), Anna-Lena Guske (FU Berlin)

This workshop looked at policies and practices in different countries, regions and cities that address national policies and projects on sustainability transitions and specific commitments made at the Paris conference in 2015. We discussed strategies and actions developed by different stakeholders, including international organizations, government agencies, the private sector, nonprofits and Universities. The workshop aimed at bridging insights and theoretical concepts from different disciplines, involving academics and practitioners.

Many provinces, cities, and utilities are not waiting. They are taking actions now toward the outlined objectives and targets of the Paris Agreement. Numerous cities have committed to 100% clean energy. We have also seen a series of positive developments, such as the Climate Action Summit 2018 that have shown the commitments of important stakeholders at different levels.

However, the currently announced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) of the G20 and other countries are not sufficient to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Further commitments to advancing energy transition policies are facing various political challenges.

The workshop discussed new policy proposal and also provided room for addressing critical social aspects of transition policies and programs. The workshop participants contributed to and learned about the diversity of strategies and challenges in different countries aiming at accelerating emissions reduction and promoting the transition to low-carbon economies.