Michael Jakob

Michael Jakob

Dr. oec
Diplom-Physiker (Diploma in Physics)
DEA (International Relations)

Associate

Team

Dr. Michael Jakob is an Associate at Ecologic Institute with more than 15 years of experience in international and European energy and climate policy. He has published more than one hundred papers on socially just climate policies, the political economy of energy policy and the relationship between globalisation and climate change mitigation. Recent research includes several studies on the design and distributional implications of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and on the potential and limitations of green industrial policies. He works in both German and English and has a good knowledge of Spanish and French.

Within the Kopernikus project "Evidence-based Assessment for the Design of the German Energy Transition" (Ariadne), he has participated in a study assessing the distributional implications of the envisaged EU ETS2 and works on geopolitical aspects of the clean energy transition, in particular with regard to import dependence.

Dr. Michael Jakob has worked for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) from 2007 to 2013, the Mercator Research Institute for Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) in Berlin from 2013 to 2020 and the Öko-Institute in Berlin during 2021. He has published extensively in academic peer-reviewed journals and has continuously strived to communicate scientific findings to a broader audience through teaching, public lectures, and being the author of newspaper articles, blog posts, and a popular science book. Michael has also advised governments, international organisations and NGOs and has been a contributing author to the 5th Assessment Report and the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Dr. Michael Jakob holds a PhD in economics from the Technical University of Berlin and degrees in physics, economics, and international relations from the Technical University of Munich (Germany), the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), and the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva (Switzerland).

Recent content by Michael Jakob

Publication:Report
 
Cover of a publication titled 'Restrictions on the Use of Photovoltaic Electricity in Buildings'. The image shows solar panels on a balcony with lush plants in the background and a city skyline in the distance. In the top right corner is the logo of the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development next to the title. The names of the authors are listed below: Katharina Umpfenbach, Lina-Marie Dück, Tobias Kelm, Felix Dengler, Ricarda Faber, and Michael Jakob.
To achieve the ambitious climate targets of the Federal Climate Change Act a rapid expansion of renewable energies, particularly wind and photovoltaics (PV), is crucial. In this context, achieving 215 GW of installed PV capacity by 2030 has become a specific target of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). This report deals with the central role that buildings play in meeting PV expansion targets, with the potential to cover up to 25% of EU electricity consumption through rooftop PV.

Restriktionen bei der Nutzung von Photovoltaik-Strom im Gebäudebereich

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Publication:Report
 
Report cover with a deep teal background. At the top, a small white circular logo with a stylized image of the Earth. Below the logo, in large, white, sans-serif font, the title 'Pricing agricultural emissions and rewarding climate action in the agri-food value chain'. At the bottom of the cover, the company logo 'Trinomics' with its characteristic half-circle colored graphic.
The agriculture and land sectors must mitigate greenhouse gas emissions for the EU to meet its climate targets. In a new report published by the European Commission's DG CLIMA, Ecologic Institute, IEEP, and Trinomics investigate how an emissions trading system (ETS) could price greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities, and how this can be accompanied by providing farmers and other landowners with financial incentives to carry out land-based carbon removals.

Pricing Agricultural Emissions and Rewarding Climate Action in the Agri-food Value Chain

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Presentation:Panel discussion
 
On 14 June 2023, Aaron Scheid presented policy models for linking a reward system for carbon removals in the land sector with the AgETS. Five models were presented as part of the study "Pricing Agricultural Emissions and Rewarding Climate Action in the Agri-food Value Chain", which was developed for DG CLIMA at the time and formed the basis for the panel discussion.

Policy Models and Considerations for Using ETS Revenues


Aaron Scheid

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Event:Workshop
 
The workshop was part of a research project of Ecologic Institute and the German Institute of Development and Sustainability, funded by the German Environment Agency. They assessed existing literature as well as about 80 globally representative Free Trade Agreements, combining the TREND database with a qualitative analysis of their provisions. The workshop presented and discussed their preliminary findings and open questions.

Sustainability Chapters in Free Trade Agreements

Research gaps and future role


online

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Publication:Document
 
Cover of the discussion paper titled 'How the Net-Zero Transformation Affects Fossil Fuel Exporters - Security Implications and Policy Options for the EU', below the subtitel 'Deliverable D3.7: Discussion papers on the impact on the EU’s main partners dealing with the respective dimensions (Paper 4)'. At the top, a modern logo consisting of intertwined loops in multiple colors, representing the brand '4i TRACTION', which stands for innovation, investment, infrastructure, and integration.
This paper addresses a gap by providing a conceptual basis to further the understanding of security implications of the EU’s transformation to a net-zero economy. It first defines the aspects of security under consideration (Section 2) and proposes a typology to classify fossil fuel exporting countries based on their exposure to world market prices, their capacity to adjust and their importance to the EU in terms of security issues (Section 3). It then takes stock of policy options that can be adopted in other countries to reduce adjustment costs to a changed economic environment (Section 4) and discusses how the EU can support these policies (Section 5). Finally, it highlights key implications for EU policy makers (Section 6).

How the Net-Zero Transformation Affects Fossil Fuel Exporters

Security Implications and Policy Options for the EU

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Event:Digital Event
 
What models currently exist to promote photovoltaic systems on multi-unit buildings, and how can the regulatory framework be improved to further accelerate expansion? On 25 April 2023, three different models for the generation and use of PV electricity for multi-party buildings were presented in keynote speeches and then discussed with the expert audience.

Models for the Generation and Use of PV Electricity for Multi-party Buildings

Hybrid Expert Workshop


Berlin, Germany

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Event:Dinner Dialogue
 
The EU taxonomy regulation for sustainable finance has received much attention. As a living document, it requires regular reviewing and updating. So what's next in stall for the policy's development? On 16 January 2023, representatives from politics, industry (financial and non-financial), academia and the civil society came together to discuss exactly that. R. Andreas Kraemer moderated the event that featured an initial impulse from Korbinian Reiter (Kanzlei Redeker) and comments from Silke Stremlau (Hannoversche Kassen) and Sabine Pex (BMUV).

What's Next for the EU Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance?

Discussion on further developments, barriers and opportunities


Berlin, Germany

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Publication:Knowledge for Future – The Environment Podcast
 
To achieve the EU climate targets, a lot of money will have to be invested – according to estimates by the EU Commission, an additional 350 billion euros per year by 2030. In order to avoid greenwashing and ensure that these funds actually flow into sustainable economic activities, the EU taxonomy has been in place since 2020. What are the weaknesses of the taxonomy, and how could it be further developed in the future?

EU-Taxonomie: Ein guter Schritt für mehr Nachhaltigkeit?

14th episode of "Knowledge for Future – The Environment Podcast"

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Project
 
Carbon pricing is gaining traction around the world, as more and more jurisdictions implement emissions trading systems or tax carbon emissions to achieve their climate objectives. The annual "State and Trends of Carbon Pricing" is the flagship report of the World Bank to provide a concise, up-to-date overview of what is happening in this field. With over 70,000 annual downloads, it is one of the most prominent publications on this matter. 2023 marks the 10th edition of the State and Trends report. A consortium of adelphi and Ecologic Institute supported the World Bank in developing the 2023 edition of the report.

State and Trends of Carbon Pricing Report 2023

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