PEP Brings Global South Evidence to Europe’s Climate Debate

PEP brought Southern-led evidence directly into a key European climate policy debate last week, as Executive Director Prof. Jane Mariara and Director of Research Jorge Davalos participated in the final conference of the ToBe and SPES projects in Brussels.

The conference, Placing Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing at the Heart of the Economy: From Research to Transformative Policy, brought together European and international stakeholders to explore how Europe can reorient its economy to promote global sustainability and wellbeing for all. With an audience of policymakers, researchers, and institutional leaders, the event provided a timely forum to reflect on the global consequences of European policy choices. 

“This was a valuable opportunity to showcase the work we delivered through the SPES project—particularly as our contribution went beyond what was initially envisaged,” said Prof. Mariara.

Global impacts, often unseen

In her presentation, What Global South evidence reveals for European climate policy, Prof. Mariara challenged the idea that European climate policy primarily affects Europe. Drawing on evidence from the Global South, she showed how policy decisions and economic shocks in Europe influence livelihoods in other regions.

“European shocks and policies do not stop at Europe’s borders,” she said. “They transmit through trade, prices, and labour markets, shaping wellbeing outcomes far beyond the EU.”

Using the Russia–Ukraine war as an example, she illustrated how global price spikes in food, energy, and fertiliser translated into poverty and food insecurity in developing economies. She explained that this means similar shocks can have very different consequences depending on how vulnerable people are and how well they are able to cope.

Climate ambition with global responsibility

Prof. Mariara then applied these insights to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), saying that while it aims to support climate goals, it can unintentionally place greater pressure on poorer countries if its wider impacts are not considered.

“If climate ambition is to be consistent with inclusive wellbeing, policy design must explicitly account for these effects,” she argued. “That means pairing carbon pricing with fairness safeguards.”

She highlighted options such as using revenues for compensation and social protection, strengthening climate finance, and supporting technological upgrading in partner countries.

The strong interest from the audience, along with positive feedback during networking and discussion sessions, highlighted the relevance of PEP’s contribution to the wider research and policy community.

Reinforcing PEP’s evidence-led mission

Ahead of the conference, PEP’s Director of Research Jorge Davalos emphasized the importance of bridging research and policy to make wellbeing a concrete goal.

“We need to move from research to transformative policy,” Davalos said. “That means making wellbeing, sustainability, and inclusion real decision criteria in economic policymaking.”

During networking sessions at the conference, Davalos reflected on the factors behind PEP’s successful collaboration with European partners. He expressed confidence that the SPES project would lead to further collaboration with EU institutions in the future. Davalos and Prof. Mariara also confirmed that PEP’s input made a meaningful difference, strengthening the overall body of evidence produced by the SPES project—an assessment echoed by other project partners during plenary and breakout sessions.

Prof. Mariara reinforced this message, emphasizing why Global South evidence is essential for credible European policymaking.

“Our contribution is to examine who ultimately bears the costs,” she explained. “Focusing on poverty, inequality, and food security shows why evidence from outside Europe is directly relevant for effective and legitimate climate policy.”

PEP’s engagement at the ToBe-SPES conference reflects its core mission: ensuring that locally generated evidence informs global policy debates. By bringing Southern perspectives into the heart of European debates, PEP continues to advocate for climate action and inclusive wellbeing as goals that must be pursued together.

The Final Conference of the ToBe & SPES Projects, both supported by Horizon Europe, aimed to produce policy recommendations that can ensure research outcomes translate into transformative policy and practice at both EU and global levels. Prof. Mariara made her presentation as part of the first-day session on Fostering change for sustainable and inclusive wellbeing in Europe (and beyond).