Race to the Top for Climate: Building a cooperative agenda for a globally inter-operable EU-US clean economy transition

The report argues that the EU and US should move away from a combative competitive race toward a cooperative agenda for industrial decarbonisation. It suggests a 'softer' path to alignment that prioritises short-term 'carrots' like cleantech incentives and long-term 'sticks' like harmonised standards, rather than attempting to reconcile contentious issues like carbon pricing. The study advocates expanding cooperation beyond hydrogen and carbon capture to include circular economy solutions and electrification, using a policy mix approach that categorises tools by supply push, price signals, demand pull, and systemic enablers.

• Current US-EU efforts to align on industrial decarbonisation may be more effective if they avoid trying to resolve contentious issues, such as carbon pricing, in favour of a 'softer' path to alignment.
• A cooperative transatlantic agenda should focus on short-term 'carrots' to stimulate industrial cleantech and long-term 'sticks' through the harmonisation of standards for carbon requirements.
• Transatlantic cooperation should expand beyond existing initiatives for hydrogen, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) to encompass systemic shifts like electrification and circular economy solutions.
• The report identifies a risk that competitive, combative industrial policies between major economies could lead to fragmentation and zero-sum outcomes, which would undermine global climate progress.

APA

Climate Strategies (2024). Race to the Top for Climate: Building a cooperative agenda for a globally inter-operable EU-US clean economy transition. https://climatestrategies.org/publication/race-to-the-top-for-climate-building-a-cooperative-agenda-for-a-globally-inter-operable-eu-us-clean-economy-transition/

Chicago

Climate Strategies. Race to the Top for Climate: Building a cooperative agenda for a globally inter-operable EU-US clean economy transition. 2024. https://climatestrategies.org/publication/race-to-the-top-for-climate-building-a-cooperative-agenda-for-a-globally-inter-operable-eu-us-clean-economy-transition/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=Race to the Top for Climate: Building a cooperative agenda for a globally inter-operable EU-US clean economy transition |date=25 September 2024 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/publication/race-to-the-top-for-climate-building-a-cooperative-agenda-for-a-globally-inter-operable-eu-us-clean-economy-transition/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategies2024race, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{Race to the Top for Climate: Building a cooperative agenda for a globally inter-operable EU-US clean economy transition}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/publication/race-to-the-top-for-climate-building-a-cooperative-agenda-for-a-globally-inter-operable-eu-us-clean-economy-transition/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }