Every project and every purchase carries a carbon consequence and that consequence has a value, even when it never appears in the budget. Carbon pricing makes that value visible, so it can be weighed alongside the costs that do show up on the balance sheet.
In this two-part series, experts from the Interreg North-West Europe project DeCarb-Pro introduce carbon pricing for public decision-making and show how to put it into practice. The first session explains the principles: what carbon pricing is, how the different approaches differ, and how governments across Europe already apply them. The second session moves from insight to movement: where to begin, what the first steps look like, and how other public organisations have made a start.
The two sessions are designed to be followed together, and each one requires its own registration. Sign up for both to follow the complete series:
From Carbon Costs to Climate Impact
Webinar - Part 1 of 2
8 September 2026, 11:15 – 12:30 (CEST)
Register Now | Webinar - Part 1
From Insight to Movement
Webinar - Part 2 of 2
15 September 2026, 11:15 – 12:30 (CEST)
Register Now | Webinar - Part 2
Participation is free of charge, thanks to the support of the Interreg North-West Europe programme.
Everyone who registers is also invited to the DeCarb-Pro Final Event in Brussels on 5 November.
Webinar 1/2
From Carbon Costs to Climate Impact: Using Carbon Pricing in Public Decision-Making
Tuesday 8 September 2026, 11:15 – 12:30 (CEST)
Imagine this: a municipality needs to repave a schoolyard. There are two options: buy new paving stones or reuse the ones already there. The installation costs are almost identical. Which would you choose? New materials, probably. But what if the climate cost of the CO₂ emissions appeared on the same balance sheet?
These are exactly the kinds of questions at the heart of this webinar series on carbon pricing for public authorities.
Carbon pricing is increasingly recognized as a powerful instrument for making substantial climate impact. It makes visible what usually stays invisible: every project and purchase carries a carbon consequence, and that consequence has a value, even when it never appears in the budget.
In this first session, Michiel van der Hagen (GMR) one of the experts contributing to the DeCarb-Pro project, introduces the principles. Why does putting a price on carbon change decisions? What is the difference between a carbon price, a shadow price and the social cost of carbon, and when would a public authority use each of them? How do European institutions and national governments already apply these figures, and what does that mean for municipalities, provinces and regional authorities?
You do not need an economics background to follow along. The session is designed primarily for policy advisors and other professionals working in sustainability, public space, real estate, mobility and finance who make or support decisions with a climate footprint and want to understand carbon pricing well enough to explain it to colleagues and decision-makers.
What to expect
11:15 | Digital check-in
11:30 | Webinar starts
Topics include:
- Why carbon pricing matters
- Carbon price, shadow price and the social cost of carbon
- How governments and public authorities already use carbon pricing
- Practical applications in public procurement and decision-making
- Questions and discussion
12:30 | End of webinar
You will leave with a clear picture of what carbon pricing is, what it is not, and where it can realistically enter your own decision-making process. The second webinar then turns to the practical question: how do you actually start?
Register here
Webinar 2/2
From Carbon Costs to Climate Impact: Using Carbon Pricing in Public Decision-Making
Tuesday 15 September 2026, 11:15 – 12:30 (CEST)
Imagine this: the CO₂ figures for your organisation are finally on the table. You know roughly where the emissions happen — and that most of them are not in your own buildings or fleet, but in the projects you commission and energy services you buy.
Then comes the harder question: what do you do on Monday morning? Which tender, which project, which decision do you start with?
That question is at the heart of the second webinar in our series on carbon pricing for local policy advisors. While the first session explained why carbon pricing matters and how the different approaches work, this one shifts from insight to movement.
Thijs Wentink (SKAO) and Emma Greiveldinger (Agence du Climat Strasbourg), two of the experts contributing to the DeCarb-Pro project, will explain how local governments can take their first steps towards climate-conscious decision-making. Drawing on real-world experience, including lessons learned from governments working with the CO₂ Performance Ladder and first pilot approaches in small municipalities, they discuss how insight into emissions can help create awareness, shape policy priorities, and support more climate-conscious procurement and project decisions. Rather than presenting a single best practice example, the focus is on offering participants various ways to get started in their own context, regardless of their municipality's size or starting point.
The session is interactive by design. A short live poll will ask where you currently stand: what you have already done, where you see opportunities, and what obstacles you continue to encounter. Time will also be reserved for questions and cases from participants, with project partners responding and fellow participants sharing their own experiences.
What to expect
11:15 | Digital check-in
11:30 | Webinar and Q&A
Topics include:
- First steps towards climate-conscious decision-making
- Using emissions insights to create awareness and priorities
- Lessons from the CO₂ Performance Ladder and municipal pilots
- Practical approaches for procurement and project decisions
- Questions, discussion and exchange of experiences
12:30 | End of webinar
You will leave with key messages worth taking back to your organisation and concrete next steps that you can take to start your journey to CO₂ pricing.
