The European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals: Financing a “Just Transition” to a Greener Europe?

This project, hosted by the Faculty of Law at Lund University, is funded by the Centre for European Studies at Lund University. The aim of this project is to examine, from an international legal perspective, the way in which the financial objectives enshrined in the European Green Deal may facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the European Union and its member states. The project focuses specifically on Goal 13 on Climate Action and Goal 14 on Life Under Water.

Both the European Green Deal and the SDG rely on new financial instruments aimed at attracting private capital, such as green bonds, ocean bonds (or blue bonds) and SDG bonds. These financial tools are promoted by international organizations, financial institutions and states as market-led solutions to the multi-layered challenges raised by the current climate emergency. Very little is known, however, about the international operational and legal frameworks underpinning these financial tools. Even less is known of their socio-economic implications, including in terms of human rights and climate justice. Our Just Transition project sets out to examine, from an international legal perspective, the role of sustainable finance in the implementation of both the European Green Deal and the SDG.

This project is led by Daria Davitti and Britta Sjöstedt, with the research assistance of Arınç Onat Kılıç and Sara Ramberg.