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Sarah Fluchs / Adriana Neligan / Finn Arnd Wendland IW-Trends No. 2 30. May 2022 Climate Investments: Definitions and Documentation Principles

Achieving climate neutrality requires investment in technologies which protect the climate from global warming and necessitates a process of transformation in all sectors of the economy.

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Definitions and Documentation Principles
Sarah Fluchs / Adriana Neligan / Finn Arnd Wendland IW-Trends No. 2 30. May 2022

Climate Investments: Definitions and Documentation Principles

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

Achieving climate neutrality requires investment in technologies which protect the climate from global warming and necessitates a process of transformation in all sectors of the economy.

A plethora of national and international studies and statistics have generated a wide range of approaches to defining and quantifying climate investments. Despite this, comprehensive and representative records of such investments are few and far between, and there can be considerable differences between the terminology, documentation principles and methods already developed. These inconsistencies have led to very different assessments of the types and scope of investment necessary to achieve climate goals. Yet clearly identifying climate investments and creating a common basis for data collection is a prerequisite to increase the allocative efficiency and to minimise the costs of protecting the climate in the medium term. This study therefore provides a review of the terminological and data-capturing principles currently applied in documenting climate investments together with a systematic overview of common features and differences in data collection methods. THis analysis shows that the context of the analysis and the perspective from which it is approached have an important influence on terminological and conceptual understanding. Finally, an independent concept of climate investments is developed that can be used to effectively document contributions to climate protection in all economic sectors.

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Definitions and Documentation Principles
Sarah Fluchs / Adriana Neligan / Finn Arnd Wendland IW-Trends No. 2 30. May 2022

Climate Investments: Definitions and Documentation Principles

German Economic Institute (IW) German Economic Institute (IW)

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Digital Product Passport - Enabler of the Circular Economy
Adriana Neligan / Carmen Schleicher / Barbara Engels / Thorsten Kroke IW-Report No. 47 27. September 2023

Digital Product Passport - Enabler of the Circular Economy

In a circular economy, a new understanding of economic activity and an alternative approach to raw materials are required. Resources should be used for as long as possible in order to reduce both the material and energy consumption as well as the waste and ...

IW

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Thilo Schaefer Event 20. September 2023

Climate Clubs as a Lightning Rod for Tensions in Trade and Industrial Competitiveness

The Paris Agreement has established a transformative paradigm. While this transformation will create winners and losers, it now seems increasingly clear that overall, there are tremendous opportunities.

IW

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