Survey results Energy Futures of Europe

A survey of 58 European climate experts reveals skepticism about Europe's ability to meet its 2030 and 2050 climate goals, citing lagging investments and bureaucratic hurdles. While experts show varying confidence in technologies like CCS and hydrogen, there is a notable call for a more prominent role for nuclear energy and a shift toward 'technology optionality' and simplified, incentive-based policymaking.

• European climate experts express skepticism regarding Europe's ability to meet its emission reduction targets for both the 55% reduction by 2030 and net zero by 2050. Reasons cited include lagging investments in renewables, hydrogen, CCS, and EV infrastructure, as well as political influence from the oil and gas sector and bureaucratic permitting processes.
• Confidence levels vary across decarbonization technologies for 2030 emissions abatement. Experts show higher confidence in solar and BEV passenger cars, while showing lower confidence in CCS and hydrogen.
• A majority of surveyed experts believe nuclear energy should have a more significant role in policymaking, suggesting the extension of existing plants, the use of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), or the development of fusion technology.
• Experts identify several risks that could hinder emission reductions, including social acceptance, political will, financing, and permitting bureaucracy. Proposed mitigations include neutral public communication, de-risking private investments, and holistic long-term planning.
• There is broad agreement among experts on a proposed 'mindset shift' toward building more optionality, flexibility, and resilience into decarbonization pathways to manage uncertainty and reduce the risk of failure.
• To improve decarbonization pathways, experts suggest concrete steps such as implementing carbon taxes, simplifying regulations to reduce 'red tape', adopting technology-neutral policy designs, and increasing EU-level public investments.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2023). Survey results Energy Futures of Europe. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21111315/energy-futures-europe-survey-results.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Survey results Energy Futures of Europe. 2023. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21111315/energy-futures-europe-survey-results.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Survey results Energy Futures of Europe |date=6 September 2023 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21111315/energy-futures-europe-survey-results.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2023survey, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Survey results Energy Futures of Europe}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21111315/energy-futures-europe-survey-results.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }