ESMT Open Lecture with Ottmar Edenhofer
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been unfortunately postponed. Please register here for the new date: November 14, 2023.
Climate neutrality cannot be achieved without actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Despite innovation, a considerable gap remains between projected levels of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and what is needed to meet climate objectives. However, challenges posed by CDR extend beyond technology development and diffusion. CDR propels climate policy into a new era; establishing a planetary waste management system for managing the global carbon cycle will become the core task of the 21st century.
In this ESMT Open Lecture, Ottmar Edenhofer, director and chief economist of the Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, will identify key areas of CDR governance. The presentation will focus on the policy regimes that ensure optimal deployment of carbon removal, certification of the quality of removals, and management of the liability implied by non-permanent CDR. The presentation will also address how three new institutions – namely, a European Carbon Central Bank, a Carbon Removal Certification Authority, and a Green Leap Innovation Authority – could take on these tasks for the European Union.
About the ESMT Open Lectures series
Since 2009, ESMT Berlin has presented a series of lectures focusing on questions of current intellectual concern. It showcases speakers, who through their achievements and expertise are recognized leaders in their fields and have pushed the frontiers of public discussion. The lectures cover a wide spectrum of fields ranging from business, economics, politics, and philosophy to the arts. While speakers are authorities in their particular area, their insights have broad relevance and wide-ranging applications.
The ESMT Open Lectures provide a forum in which these ideas can be communicated to a wider
audience. The lecture generally takes place either at midday or in the early evening on a weekday. After a short introduction by the president of ESMT, the invited guest usually speaks for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. This is followed by a Q&A session, which is moderated either by a distinguished academic or a national or international journalist.
ESMT invites guests from politics, business, academia, and the general public, as well as our
international student body. The ESMT Open Lecture email distribution list includes members of other
universities, educational institutions, important political institutions, foundations, companies and other organizations, as well as private individuals.