In order to contribute with scientific evidence to the public discourse, The Cyprus Institute (CyI) has just launched a Policy Brief series. Policy briefs are intended to provide analysis on topical issues related to sustainable development. Drawing on The Cyprus Institute’s expertise, they will summarize research findings or the state of knowledge about a particular issue in order to inform ongoing policy debates.

 

Policy Briefs will be prepared on a periodic basis and will be published by CyI’s Science and Technology Driven Policy and Innovation Research Centre, in collaboration with researchers from other Centers of the Institute.

 

The Institute is also planning to prepare Science and Technology Briefs to inform society and contribute to science-based decision-making.

 

The first Policy Brief addresses Cyprus’ path towards a zero-carbon economy and the technological and economic challenges and opportunities that may arise. It has been prepared in collaboration with CyI’s Energy, Environment and Water Resources Research Centre and is written by Professor Theodoros Zachariadis and Associate Research Scientist Dr. Constantinos Taliotis.

 

The Commentary summarizes a more detailed techno-economic study carried out by its authors, which is also publicly available. The authors analyze the characteristics of the economy of a climate-neutral Cyprus, explaining that the transition to climate neutrality will require serious investments by the public and private sectors, but that, thanks to the decoupling from imported fossil fuels, these can be beneficial for the economy and society and free up resources that can be reinvested in the economy. At the same time, however, the transition is accompanied by economic challenges, which need to be addressed in good time.

 

The authors underline that, in order to put Cyprus on a climate-neutral trajectory, all government policies and investments should, already today, be aligned with the net-zero emissions target in 2050. Delaying the implementation of the green transition will cost society more. This requires a credible policy mix, centrally coordinated at governmental level, including support for green investments and innovation actions, withdrawal of public resources from environmentally harmful investments and a combination of green taxes and subsidies, applying the EU's sustainable financing criteria.

 

The Policy Brief, written in Greek with an English summary, is available here.

 

The detailed net-zero, written in Greek with an Executive Summary in English, is available here.