Climate Policy Lab Conference 2025

Conference Description

Three major challenges confront the world with respect to climate change today. First, the climate is changing more rapidly than most scientists predicted with global average temperatures briefly exceeding 1.5 degrees C in 2024. Second, despite ambitious target-setting in the context of Paris Agreement’s nationally-determined commitments, too many countries are not on track to achieve their targets due to challenges encountered with implementation.  Third, momentum appears to be waning on climate while other pressing concerns have risen higher on national and global agendas, indicating a trade-off between action on climate versus other issues rather than integration among them.  The conference will tackle these two gaps: the implementation gap and the integration gap.

Implementation gaps - As part of the NDC process, countries need to identify and address structural barriers that hinder successful climate policy implementation. We define implementation gaps as the difference between the intended outcomes articulated in policy design and the actual outcomes observed after adoption. These barriers differ by country, but some are shared among a high number of countries (e.g., the prohibitive cost of capital and finance, unclear mandates or incoherent policy frameworks, low institutional capacities, insufficient technological capabilities etc.).

Integration gaps – A related but separate gap has emerged related to the integration of important issues on national and global agendas.  Most countries, whether developing or already industrialized, are prioritizing job creation, economic growth, new industrialization, resilience, health, national security, free trade, access to low-cost finance, and reducing their national debt.  While climate change is inherently connected to these agendas, it has been disassociated from them in some countries, highlighting an integration gap.  Attendees will discuss how to align these agendas in a more productive and durable manner.

The international conference Mind the Gap: Implementation and Integration in Climate Policy held at The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and organized by the Climate Policy Lab, will help participants gain insights into how specific structural barriers in their countries could be addressed through integration of national agendas and through enhanced policy implementation. Invited speakers will exchange knowledge and experiences regarding what policies and strategies have proven effective and which have not in decarbonizing economies in their countries.

Participation

The international conference will highlight the importance of multistakeholder engagement and cooperation in climate policy implementation and will welcome participants from around the world.  We will bring together leaders in climate policy research, practice, and implementation as speakers.  Registration is open and we invite people from all sectors, including faculty, researchers, and students to participate. 

Dates and Location

The conference will be held Thursday 18 and Friday 19 September at The Fletcher School, Tufts University in the greater Boston-Cambridge area.  The dates are conveniently scheduled ahead of Climate Week to enable participants to arrive in Boston and then travel to New York over the weekend.  Fletcher/Tufts is accessible via two subway lines, the Green Line and the Red Line, both of which start in Boston and traverse Cambridge.

Meet the Speakers - more to be announced!