African Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AFAERE) Hybrid Conference

19 June 2023By

Conference Theme: Just Energy Transition in Africa

All forces need to be mobilized as the time to fulfil the pledges made in the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 is slowly passing away before a catastrophic calamity strikes humanity. It is urgent to secure a continent-wide, inclusive green transformation, with a focus on a low-carbon transition and gender equity. Never in human history has there been a need for such a quick and comprehensive set of social alterations, which is also a knowledge-intensive process. This means that to accelerate positive change, existing capability and expertise must be fully exploited. Energy transition becomes an important theme in the context of Africa given their differential impacts, lack of preparedness and vulnerability of African economies to such transitions.

Submission Guideline and Rules

You are invited to submit theoretical, empirical and policy papers dealing with the socioeconomic and environmental implications of energy transitions and policy trade-offs in Africa. Papers could address any or combination of the following topics:

  • Modelling and understanding energy transition risks.
  • The role of property rights in a just energy transition.
  • The role of national and corporate governance in the transition towards affordable, greener, sustainable, and secure energy sources.
  • The role of gender-energy initiatives in strengthening women and youth’s engagement, involvement, and leadership in a just energy transition.
  • Options for financing a just energy transition in Africa.

Full papers are to be submitted at

https://afaere.org/submit-papers/

The deadline for full paper submissions is 31 July 2023.

The Scientific Committee will evaluate all submissions with the help of peer reviewers. The last notification of acceptance of papers is scheduled for 31 August 2023.

The number of submissions per person is unlimited, but the maximum number of presentations in parallel sessions per person will be limited to two. Presenters must be duly registered for the Conference by 30 September 2023 for their papers to be included on the programme.

Keynote Speakers

The notable international keynote speakers are published on the Conference website and these are:

  1. Prof Kelvin Chika Urama, Chief Economist and Vice President, Economic Governance and Knowledge Management complex, Africa Development Bank, urama@afdb.org
  2. Alemu Mekonnen, University of Addis Ababa
  3. Faith Odongo, Deputy Director of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy, Kenya
  4. Prof Yonas Alem, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Sponsorship and Support

Sponsors will be updated once we have received confirmation. 

Conference Fees

Conference registration and information on the registration process is available on the Conference website (https://afaere.org/conferences/).

Member R5470 (US$300)

Students R2700 (US$150)

Early bird(s)

Member R4500 (US$250)

Students R1800 (US$100)

Membership Fees

AFAERE annual membership costs R450 (US$30) while triennial membership costs R1125 (US$75). We therefore encourage delegates to join and gain the benefits of the membership rate and access to the Association and its resources. To join AFAERE click on the link provided: https://afaere.org/membership/

AFAERE membership in the year 2023 is a requirement to attend the Conference. Non-members are requested to join AFAERE as part of the Conference registration process.

Scientific Committee

Dr. Nnaemeka Chukwuone, President, AFAERE
Prof Edwin Muchapondwa, University of Cape Town
Prof Johane Dikgang, University of Florida
Prof Wisdom Akpalu, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration
Dr. Selma Karuaihe, University of Pretoria
Prof Richard Mulwa, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Prof Ernest L. Molua, Executive Director · Centre for Independent Development Research (CIDR)

Organizing Committee

Dr. Herbert Ntuli, Secretary General, AFAERE, contact ntulih5@gmail.com
Dr Mary Karumba, State Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Government of Kenya, contact muthonikarumba48@gmail.com
Dr Precious Zikhali, World Bank, contact prehgabadela@gmail.com
Dr Boscow Okumu, The National Treasury and Planning in the Government of Kenya, contact kodhis2000@gmail.com

Important Deadlines

  • 31 July 2023: Deadline for paper submissions
  • 31 August 2023: Notification of acceptance of papers
  • 30 September 2023: Registration deadline for presenters

Further Information

For questions related to paper submissions, please contact the Scientific Committee at: afaerecouncil@gmail.com. For additional information about AFAERE 2020 please visit the Conference website at: https://afaere.org/submit-papers/. For questions related to AFAERE membership, please contact ntulih5@gmail.com

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Events

Energy Policy in the Face of Global Instability (WCEREA Special Session @EAERE2023)

19 June 2023By

 

Organizers: Åsa Löfgren, University of Gothenburg, EAERE Council Member and former WCEREA Board Member; Thomas Sterner, University of Gothenburg

Panelists: Åsa Löfgren (University of Gothenburg, EAERE Council Member and former WCEREA Board Member) Thomas Sterner (University of Gothenburg) Anna Creti (Université Paris Dauphine) Aldo Ravazzi Douvan (Italian Ministry of Environment & University of Roma Luiss) Ottmar Edenhofer (Technical University of Berlin, PIK & MCC) Matti Liski (Aalto University)

Economies around the world are facing an array of shocks and uncertainties. These include rapid inflation and a mix of policies attempting to address inflation pressures; energy and food price increases with significant cost of living impacts; the potential for recession or at least highly uncertain economic growth; and continuing uncertainties around the war in Ukraine. Global climate and energy policies continue to support energy transition, particularly with the implementation of the European Green Deal and Fit-for-55 package in the EU. But the effects of high energy prices, rising costs of minerals necessary for electrification, and elements of global economic instability on continuing energy transition are unclear. This panel will explore the impacts of global uncertainties on energy markets, energy transition, and climate and energy policy. The panel will focus on policy in Europe in the context of global markets and policies.

WCEREA

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Policy Outreach Events

EAERE POC Policy Session “COP15 versus COP27: lessons from international negotiations on biodiversity and climate change”

31 May 2023By

Against the backdrop of accelerating and ever more complex crises (the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the energy crisis), the 21st Century has become characterised by the need for responses that are simultaneously rapid and systemic.

From greater citizen participation to bureaucratisation, from global justice to democratic backslides, and from technology to regulation, we are navigating dynamics for which our current post-war governance institutions are not equipped.

These challenges offer Europe the opportunity to transform them into global leadership. The objective of the Vision Conferences on the Future of Europe is thus to act as a catalyst of new, alternative ideas and approaches that can build solutions to the specific challenges presented in the conference’s four problem-solving groups, composed of multidisciplinary, multi-sector, and international experts.

This edition hosts an EAERE Policy Outreach Committee (POC) plenary session titled “COP15 versus COP27: lessons from international negotiations on biodiversity and climate change“. The session will discuss the interdependence of the COP15 and COP27 agreements, their respective effectiveness and implications, and their public reception.

We are pleased to have the following speakers for the session:

  • Simone Borghesi (Vice Rector for International Relations, University of Siena and Director of the Florence School of Regulation – Climate, European University Institute)
  • Valeria Constantini (Director, Department of Economics, Roma Tre University)
  • Enrico Giovannini (University Tor Vergata and former Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility)
  • Phoebe Koundouri (President, European Association of Environment and Resource Economists and Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business)
  • Thomas Sterner (Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Gothenburg)
  • Peter Vis (Senior Advisor at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs and European University Institute)
  • Anastasios Xepapadeas (Professor of Economics, University of Athens and University of Bologna)

The session will take place on Friday 9th June from 10:30-11:30 am and can be viewed live HERE

 

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Policy Outreach Events

13th CEPR/EAERE Webinar on Climate Policy: Proposal of a Global Climate Plan

12 May 2023By

Recent international surveys reveal sincere support for a global carbon price funding a global basic income. Join us on Wednesday, 7 June 2023, 05:00-06:30 PM (CEST) to hear Adrien Fabre (CNRS) presenting a Global Climate Plan acceptable to most countries building upon these results.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion and Q&A session with the audience moderated by Christian Gollier (Toulouse School of Economics, EAERE, CEPR & Climate Change RPN Leader).

Register here!

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Supported Events

XXIV Annual BIOECON Conference on “Biodiversity and the Sustainable Development Goals”

27 April 2023By

Keynote Speakers

The Scientific Partners of BIOECON are pleased to announce the Twenty-fourth International BIOECON Conference on the theme of “Biodiversity and the Sustainable Development Goals”. The Conference will be held at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on 31st August – 1st September 2023. BIOECON XXIII will be of interest to both researchers and policymakers working on issues associated with finance and economics and their impact on biodiversity.

Conference keynote speakers will be Professor Erin Sills (NC State University) and Rashid Sumaila (U. British Columbia).

In addition to the conference theme, BIOECON XXIV aims to have parallel sessions on a broad range of topics within the umbrella of biodiversity economics and the sustainable develppment goals, including: marine and ocean economics, the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services in economic development, plant genetic resources and food security issues, deforestation and development, fisheries, institutions and instruments (e.g. Payments for Ecosystem Services), development and conservation, wildlife conservation and endangered species, international trade and regulation and climate change. Further, biodiversity finance, risk assessment and corporate disclosure, corporate governance structure and process, organisational change, valuation and investor behaviour are highly welcomed for submission. For a flavour of previous conferences go to this link http://www.bioecon-network.org/pages/events-01.html.

In particular, submissions are invited on the themes of:

  • Instruments for conservation in the context of land-use and biodiversity
  • Evaluation of biodiversity-related policies and programmes
  • The use of spatial data to study impacts on biodiversity and conservation programmes
  • The conservation and value of crop genetic diversity
  • Institutional frameworks for resource conservation (property rights, market instruments etc.)
  • The role of behavioural economics in biodiversity conservation policy design
  • Experimental (lab and field) approaches to biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation
  • Institution-building for provision of global public goods
  • Issues of governance and management of natural resources in developing countries
  • Development, growth and resource constraints
  • Resources management, distribution, development, poverty alleviation.
  • Resource restauration
  • Experimental or survey research on the households’, investors’, or executives’ biodiversity preferences or beliefs.

BIOECON also has the goal of influencing policy-makers and policy. To this end expert policy panels will be organised. The purpose of these panels will be to bring together practitioners (Government, private sector, NGO) and academics from different disciplines to discuss current policy-related issues in biodiversity conservation and the environment. The panel sessions will be supported by and contribute to the aims and goals of the funding partners. The precise composition of the Policy Panels is to be announced. The first will focus

Further, a pre-conference tour guide of the most relevant historical places of downtown UNESCO site Santiago de Compostela will take place on Wednesday  30th September 2023. Attending this activity is at no extra cost, though you will need to be in Santiago de Compostela at 16h on the 30th of September. You’ll also need to ensure that you bring suitable footwear. Those who may wish to stay over the weekend are invited to a excursion along the Galician cost.  We will visit on Saturday a few villages along the Galician coast, getting up to the area named “Death Coast.” The name was given because of the large number of shipwrecks.  We will finish our excusion walking on the Carnota beach, one of the largest and nicest beaches in Galicia, where we will be having an informal lunch.  We hope that this will be a nice environment for those who want to attend to come together before and after the conference.

The Conference will open with a drinks reception (and food) at Pazo Fonseca on Wednesday 30th August, at 19.30h. Conference sessions will commence on the morning of the 31th August and conclude on the afternoon of the 1st September. The conference banquet will take place at the on the evening of the 31st August at Hotel San Francisco.

SUBMISSIONS
Complete papers may be submitted for presentation within the BIOECON Conference and only complete papers will be considered by the Scientific Programme Committee. Electronic copies should be sent to bioecon@bioecon-network.org no later than Monday 22rd May 2023. Please include Abstract, JEL Codes and Keywords with your submission. Acceptance of papers will be notified by email by Monday 5th June 2023. If you wish to be considered for a bursary (details below) please indicate this when you apply. Applying for a bursary will not affect whether your paper is selected (indeed, the paper may be accepted even if we are unable to offer a bursary).

It is also possible to submit 3-4 papers together as a suggested “special session” under a theme similar to those indicated above. The Scientific Partners reserve the right to accept papers on an individual basis, so it is possible that even when a session is not accepted, individual papers within the session might be so.

Once again BIOECON XXIII welcomes suggestions for a special natural sciences or interdisciplinary parallel session to foster more interdisciplinary collaboration with the BIOECON network. Sessions proposed should focus on any aspect of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services and need not be exclusively focussed on economic methodologies or approaches.

REGISTRATION

In-person attendees will be charged €260 to cover: accommodation (on a B&B basis on San Martin Pinario) on the 30th and 31st of August; drinks reception on 30th of August; banquet dinner on the 1st; lunch and teas and coffees on 31 st and 1st. Accommodation (on a B&B basis) is also available for the nights of the 1st and 2nd, at €80/night at different prebooked hotels in town. The planned excursion is at no additional charge.

For presenters who wish to present virtually there will be a fee of €120. Virtual attendees who are not presenting are welcome to attend free of charge. All other questions regarding fees, registrations and accommodation should be sent to the conference secretariat at bioecon@bioecon-network.org.

There will be a limited number of bursaries made available which will allow some presenters to attend free of charge (though they will NOT cover travel to the conference). These will be directed towards PhD students and early career researchers, and particularly those who are based at institutions in the Global South. As noted above, please indicate if you would like to apply for a bursary when submitting your paper.

Registration will open on 29th May 2023. Registration for all in-person conference attendees, and presenters (whether in person or virtual) is due by Tuesday 4th July 2023. It may be possible for in-person attendees who are not presenting to register later than this, but such places cannot be guaranteed. Registration for all virtual attendance-only (i.e. not presenting) will be open until the start of the conference.

Further registration details and all other conference information will be provided on the BIOECON website at www.bioecon-network.org.

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Policy Outreach Events

Comparing different carbon mitigation instruments – Policy Session at EAERE2023

18 April 2023By

Recently, interest has been growing in how different types of policy instruments across countries could be compared. Since Paris, most Parties to the Paris Agreement have committed to quantified mitigation targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) documents. Countries determine themselves how to meet such targets, however. They use or plan to use a widely varied set of policy instruments to lower GHG emissions which allows them to accommodate national circumstances. This complicates the comparison of mitigation strategies, and the ability to gain a clear understanding of cumulative effort across countries. Several ideas have been launched recently to better enable such comparisons including the development of comparable metrics to measure the effects of policies on emission reductions. Also, interesting policy initiatives add to this development including a recent one from the OECD. Such initiatives also help to address concerns over competitiveness losses and carbon leakage from unilateral initiatives, reinforce trust and reduce the risks of non-compliance. This session discusses some of the background issues as well as potential avenues available to move forward.

Policy Session organisers: Simone Borghesi (EAERE POC Secretary General, European University Institute and University of Siena) and Jos Delbeke (EAERE POC, European University Institute and KU Leuven)

Invited panelists include:
Prof J. Delbeke (EUI)
Prof C. Fischer (World Bank)
Prof H. Vollebergh (Tilburg University)
More information will be available soon.
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Supported Events

SERE 2023 – 1st Swiss workshop on “Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics”

17 April 2023By

The 1st Swiss workshop on Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics will be held at CEPE in Zürich on 10 November 2023.

The SERE workshop is intended as a forum for the development and application of theoretical and empirical methods in environmental, resource and energy economics for EAERE members.

The format of the 2023 workshop will be plenary presentations (i.e., no concurrent sessions) followed by short discussions and egg-timer sessions. Overall, the scientific committee will select approximately 15 papers.

The papers will be selected on the basis of extended abstracts (3 – 5 pages) structured as follows: 1) overview, 2) methods, 3) data, and 4) preliminary results.

The deadline for submitting the extended abstracts (in PDF format) is October 1st, 2023. The abstracts will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee (see below), with acceptance decisions notified by October 15th, 2023. The extended abstract should be attached as PDF file to email sent to the workshop address (emee-workshop@ethz.ch). Please write “SERE paper submission”.

Registration will be possible from October 16th, 2023 till October 31th, 2023 (registration fee CHF 50). Final papers / presentations need to be submitted by November 6, 2023.

About the venue:

The conference will take place at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich.

EMEE Scientific Committee (members of EAERE):

  • Lint Barrage, CEPE, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Lucas Bretschger, CEPE, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Salvatore Di Falco, Department of Economics, University of Geneva, Switzerland
  • Massimo Filippini, CEPE, ETH Zurich and USI, Switzerland
  • David Hemous, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
  • Beat Hintermann, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
  • Sébastien Houde, Department of Economics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Lint Barrage, CEPE, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Switzerland
  • Ralph Winkler, Department of Economics, University of Bern, Switzerland

Organizer:

  • Massimo Filippini, CEPE at ETH Zurich and USI, Switzerland and EAERE country representative for Switzerland

The workshop is organized with the support of EAERE.

Please send all queries to the workshop address (emee-workshop@ethz.ch).

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Policy Outreach Events

Carbon Leakage, Border Measures and Carbon Clubs – EAERE POC Session at the State of the Union

17 April 2023By

Invited speakers (already confirmed) include:

– Carolyn Fischer, Research Manager for Sustainability and Infrastructure, Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank
– Kurt van Dender, Acting Head of the Tax Policy and Statistics Division at the Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD
– Judy Meltzer, Director General, Carbon Pricing Bureau, Environment and Climate Change Canada
– Susanne Dröge, Head of Department Climate Protection and Energy, German Environment Agency
Massimo Tavoni (Director European Institute on Economics and the Environment) will give some concluding remarks.

Register for the EUI Climate Week here
More info on the event here

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Events

Online Open Discussion: Gender and its Representation in the Professional World

17 April 2023By

The EAERE DEI executive committee invites you to attend an interactive session on Gender so as to bring forward issues and concerns in the context of day-to-day working life; both on an individual and collective level. The goal of the session is to understand and find hidden causes to be addressed to promote greater inclusivity and equity. The interactive session will capture the perceptions and views of participants, so as to build on them in future deliberations and provide a first step towards concrete pathways which the committee is keen to develop.

The EAERE initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) was launched in response to a demand from EAERE members to initiate a pathway leading to a common understanding of how to make progress in diversity, equity and inclusion issues, and support initiatives aiming to eliminate impediments to create an inclusive environment in the economic profession, This initiative will promote fora for discussions, informing and involving people, showcase data, mapping the main problems and identify goals with the final ambition of possibly proposing solutions.

For further information, please have a look at the DEI Open discussion leaflet at this link

Welcome address

Phoebe Koundouri, EAERE President

Speakers

Maria del Pilar Lopez Uribe, Chair, EAERE initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Ebun Akinsete, Vice Chair, EAERE initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Vinay Kumar, Vice Chair, EAERE initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

REGISTER TO THE EVENT HERE

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