Ecological futurists at work- Moving forward on global ocean governance
Dr. Sabaa A. Khan, Postdoctoral Researcher. The UN Ocean Conference took place from 5 to 9 June 2017 at the UN Headquaters in New York. The historic Conference closed just a few weeks prior to the fourth session of the Preparatory Committee established by UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292 on development of a new legally-binding instrument […]
More time for an energy revolution? Seizing the opportunity to slow down climate change by cutting emissions of short-lived climate pollutants
Kati Kulovesi, Yulia Yamineva and Veera Jerkku. There is an important ‘ambition gap’ between the climate change mitigation policies pledged by countries in context of the Paris Agreement and those needed to avoid dangerous climate change. Discussions on ways to step up climate change mitigation efforts commonly focus on ways to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These indeed […]
Volatile relations: EU-Russia energy regulation
Moritz Wüstenberg, Junior Researcher, European Law. Photo by Federico Beccari on Unsplash. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is often seen as a curiosity generally associated with globalization. The WTO as we know it today has developed in its 70 year’s history from a provisionally applied interim agreement (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or “GATT”) to […]
The evolving international gas industry- A brief comment on decarbonisation and matters arising
Tade Oyewunmi, Doctoral Researcher, oyetade.oyewunmi@uef.fi. Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash. In a forthcoming paper on the topic- ‘Examining the Instrumental Role of Regulation in the Development of Gas Supply Markets: Highlights from the US and EU’ (2017)[1] I considered the effectiveness of regulation in the path towards restructuring and the development of competitive gas markets in which parallel policy objectives such […]
A nudge towards low-emission mobility – A glance at the AFI Directive’s approach to end oil dependence in the European transport sector
Sara Kymenvaara, Researcher, Climate Change Law, LL.M. Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash. A famous metaphor on climate change politics refers to people’s unrelenting driving of SUVs, disconnected from the threat of climate change they are contributing to. Although a lot has changed on the political arena with the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on […]
Reflections on rhetoric- Discussing ‘sustainable development’ in northern regions at Arctic Circle Forum 2016
Dr. Sabaa A. Khan, Postdoctoral Researcher. The fourth Arctic Circle Forum took place in Canada from 11 to 13 December 2016, hosted by the Government of Quebec. The Forum compliments the larger Arctic Circle Assembly held in Reykjavik, Iceland, each year. Its objective is to convene international stakeholders to consider specialized issues pertaining to Arctic cooperation. […]
The ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package – Analysing the Commission’s proposed approach to capacity mechanisms
Kaisa Huhta, Doctoral Researcher (kaisa.huhta@uef.fi). Photo by Appolinary Kalashnikova on Unsplash. In November 2016, the European Commission published an extensive legislative proposal on energy. Known as ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package, the proposal aims to address many of the challenges relating to structural changes the European energy markets have been experiencing during the past decades. These […]
Nord Stream 2 and EU Energy Law
Kim Talus, Professor of European Economic and Energy Law. Photo by Fré Sonneveld on Unsplash. The Nord Stream 2 project and its predecessor Nord Stream 1 are well-known international pipeline projects. Nord Stream 2 will, when completed, bring gas from Russia to Germany and the offshore section of the pipeline will extend over around 1200 kilometers […]
E-waste realities and legal utopias- Labourers lost in translation
Sabaa A. Khan, Postdoctoral researcher, International Environmental Law, PhD. “Does the law exist for the purpose of furthering the ambitions of those who have sworn to uphold the law, or is it seriously to be considered as a moral, unifying force, the health and strength of a nation?” James Baldwin. No Name in the Street. 1972. The massive amount […]
Rainforests in the Paris Agreement- Old wine, new bottles?
Maria Eugenia Recio, Researcher, MPhil, Environmental and Climate Change Law. Photo by Jason Miller on Unsplash. Merely a year after its adoption, the landmark Paris climate change treaty came into effect on 4 November 2016. Its Parties are currently convening for the first time in Marrakesh, Morocco. These are clearly important steps for the United Nations climate change […]