European Green Deal: combining emergency action and systemic transformation

The new European Commission’s roadmap for its European Green Deal speaks of the kind of truly ambitious and transformative policy proposals needed to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050 while also addressing the converging socio-economic, climate and ecological tipping points of which the planetary emergency is the ultimate manifestation. But now the real work begins, and we must all keep a close eye on how the Deal develops as it seeks to translate these broad political guidelines into an unprecedented transformation of Europe’s societies and economies.

The Club of Rome’s Planetary Emergency Plan is a referential guide for action over the decade from 2020 but must be complemented with laying the foundations for the long-term systemic shifts needed to truly emerge from emergency into an economy and society underpinned by human and planetary prosperity and wellbeing. In her address, The Club’s co-president, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, will lay out the key principles for a transformative European Green Deal (or “New Deal for Europeans”) based on the policy input the think-tank recently submitted to the cabinets of President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and First Vic-President, Frans Timmermans.

About the speaker

Sandrine Dixson-Declѐve has 30+ years of European and international policy, business leadership and strategy experience with a particular focus on EU and international climate change, sustainable development, green growth, conventional and sustainable energy solutions and sustainable finance.

She is currently the Co-President of the Club of Rome and divides her time between lecturing, facilitating difficult conversations and advisory work. She holds several advisory positions for the European Commission: Chair, Expert Group on Economic and Societal Impact of Research & Innovation (ESIR); Member, Assembly on Research & Innovation (DGR&I); TEG Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, Chair, Manufacturing & Outreach (DGFISMA). She sits on several Advisory Boards for EIT Climate-KIC, the European Aluminium Association and the IEEP and is a Senior Associate and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and a Senior Associate for E3G. In addition, she is an Ambassador for the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) and a Senior Advisor to Interel and Xynteo. In 2017 Sandrine co-founded the Women Enablers Change Agent Network (WECAN).

Sandrine was recognised by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low-carbon economy and promoting green business. She has spent her career bringing together business leaders, policy makers, academia and NGOs. Until recently, Sandrine was Chief Partnership Officer for UN Agency Sustainable Energy for All and prior to that, Director of the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group and the EU office of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (2009-2016). During that period, she was also appointed Executive Director of the Green Growth Platform bringing together EU Ministers and CEOs.