Dr. Elisabeth Hoch

Elisabeth has 15+ years of work experience all over the world as researcher, project manager and senior advisor for the University of Freiburg, GIZ, KFW and since 2022 for Climate & Company. Her range of expertise includes local development and international cooperation, forestry, deforestation-free supply chains and biodiversity. During her PhD in Forestry, she pursued the question of whether it is worth (or not) for smallholders to plant trees in the Amazon. She enjoys fostering impactful collaborative action in global partner networks, where she usually represents the pragmatic voice on how to implement great ideas for a sustainable future.

She is based in Greece, where she lives with her husband and three kids, speaks German, Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, and likes to believe her Greek is slowly improving. She enjoys swimming, working in the quintal (tree-garden) and having a noise-free coffee-break from time to time. Contact: [email protected] and https://agrimonera.com

Latest released papers

Publication

3rd Finance Briefing: Carbon Crediting Mechanisms, Nature-Based solutions and Smallholders

December 19, 2024 - One solution that allows smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups to receive financial rewards for protecting forests is the generation and trading of carbon credits deploying Nature-based Solutions (NbS) within carbon markets. In this context, NbS are defined as a collection of nature-based approaches that (i) reduce, (ii) avoid (such as REDD+) or (iii) remove emissions. NbS offer several co-benefits for nature, bioversity and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It is widely agreed that NbS can provide up to 30% of the mitigation required by 2030 to keep the 1.5°C target within reach. This briefing aims to provide some insights and…

Publication

CBAM: Challenges and Opportunities: A Case Study of the Brazilian Fertiliser Sector | T20 – Think Tank Engagement Group – G20 Brazil’s Presidency 2024

October 17, 2024 - This T20 Brasil Policy Brief outlines key recommendations for action by the G20 group - finance and sherpa tracks - to increase climate-ambitious and positive distributional impacts of CBAM. It was elaborated in collaboration with gFIS – grupo Finanças e Investimentos Sustentáveis and ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung.Carbon pricing is one of the most effective instruments available to guide economies toward low-emission trajectories. Despite the increased introduction of this instrument, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) emphasises that carbon pricing poses several risks for carbon-intensive sectors. These risks are especially material for countries that do not yet have carbon pricing instruments in place. In this context, the implementation of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which started its first phase in October 2023, is a key initiative to observe. It covers the emission-intensive sectors of cement, aluminium, fertilisers, power energy production, iron and steel, and is designed…

Publication

Greening Trade – Making New Global Trade Agendas Work for a Just Climate and Sustainability Transition

March 8, 2024 - Our 12-page report explores the pivotal role of international trade in advancing a just climate and sustainability transition. Sector-specific approaches, transparent and internationally-harmonised sustainable finance frameworks, and equitable international collaboration are key to leveraging this potential. Our 12-page report explores the pivotal role of international trade in advancing a just climate and sustainability transition. Sector-specific approaches, transparent and internationally-harmonised sustainable finance frameworks, and equitable international collaboration are key to leveraging this potential. Our key points: International trade significantly impacts global CO2 emissions. To effectively mitigate climate change, we thus need to align trade with climate and sustainability goals. To achieve greener trade practices, we need to build trust between different countries and expertise areas. Sustainable finance instruments can be key in fostering higher transparency and thus building the basis for trust. Philanthropy can play a crucial…

Publication

A Framework for Enhancing International Climate Finance Flows | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

August 1, 2023 - This Policy Brief proposes an institutional arrangement that can build on existing practices, institutions, and domestic acceptance to create a global network of risk reduction instruments for climate finance.CEO David Rusnok from Climate & Company, together with Manish Kumar Shrivastava (Senior Fellow, Earth Science and Climate Change Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Heiner Lupke (Senior Researcher, DIW Berlin), Samantha Keen (Researcher, Strengthening National Climate Policy Implementation project), and Karsten Neuhoff (Head of the Climate Policy Department, German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), prepared this policy brief about a framework for enhancing international climate finance flows. The mobilisation and disbursement of climate finance at the scale and speed required to meet global targets is hindered by high cost of capital. At the root of this high…

Publication

Enabling Local Governance to Mitigate the Climate and Biodiversity Crises | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

July 11, 2023 - This policy brief focuses on enabling local governance to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises.Elisabeth Hoch and Max Tetteroo from Climate & Company, together with Sukanya Das (TERI School of Advanced Studies), Dil Rahut (Asian Development Bank Institute), Gabriel Medina (University of Brasilia) and Benno Pokorny (University of Freiburg), prepared this policy brief on enabling local governance to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises. The reckless expansion of unsustainable land use, largely induced by supply chains, has led to deforestation, ecosystem conversion, and environmental degradation, which in turn have caused an unprecedented decline in biodiversity and the disruption of ecosystem services. There is growing awareness of the need for global policy, for regulatory, private…

Publication

Public Consultation: Feedback on the ESRS Set 1 Delegated Act

July 7, 2023 - This policy brief highlights our main observations and messages regarding the European Commission’s Draft Delegated Act public consultation. This Delegated Act sets out the cross-cutting standards and standards for the disclosure of environmental, social and governance information (ESRS Set 1) of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires actors under its scope (large companies and listed companies) to disclose information on their ESG related risks and opportunities, essential to help investors and others stakeholders evaluate the sustainability performance of companies. What's in it? In this publication, we highlight our main observations and messages regarding the European Commission’s Draft Delegated Act public consultation. This Delegated Act sets out the cross-cutting standards and standards for the disclosure of environmental, social and governance information (ESRS Set 1) of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which requires actors under its scope (large companies and listed companies) to disclose information on their ESG related risks and opportunities, essential to help investors and other stakeholders evaluate the sustainability performance of companies. Our observations can be summarised in the following messages: Do not further divide the current…

Publication

Driving Sustainable Consumption through Policy Innovations in Value Chains | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

May 29, 2023 - In this policy brief we recommend G20 countries to work together in bridging the intent-action gap to incentivise sustainable consumption practices, shift consumption patterns, and reform consumption and production behaviour. Elisabeth Hoch and Max Tetteroo from Climate & Company, together with Rijit Sengupta, Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Responsible Business, and Sabarish Elango, Programme Associate at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) prepared this policy brief on incentivising G20 sustainable consumption practices. We recommend that the G20 countries work together in bridging the intent-action gap to shift consumption patterns, and reform consumption and production behaviour by driving the following policy innovations in global value chains. The G20 can incentivise sustainable consumption by: Developing traceable standards to support the credibility of labels and claims. Underlining the need…

Publication

Public Consultation: Feedback on the Draft Taxonomy Delegated Act

May 3, 2023 - Read about the key issues with the European Commission's Draft Taxonomy Delegated Act in this publication. The authors focus on biodiversity concerns, including high-impact sectors left out of the draft, insufficiently addressed supply chain impacts, and the need to remove biodiversity offsets. They also raise concerns about specific activities in the transport sector and the weakening of Appendix C.What's in it? In this publication, we provide several messages on what is, and what is not, in the European Commission’s Draft Taxonomy Delegated Act. Building on our continuous involvement in Taxonomy regarding biodiversity (through the Platform on Sustainable Finance and consultations) our first three messages highlight that: high-impact sectors are left out, despite technical screening criteria already being available for adoption. supply chains are still insufficiently addressed and create problems for policy coherence, biodiversity offsets need to be removed. Additionally, we share our concerns regarding the inland passenger/freight water transport and aviation activities, and the weakening of Appendix C.…

Publication

Comparative Analysis of Upcoming Disclosure Standards: Key Steps to Raise Ambition (and the case of deforestation)

January 19, 2023 - ANALYSIS: “Comparative Analysis of Upcoming Disclosure Standards: Key Steps to Raise Ambition (and the case of deforestation)” What's in it? An ambitious and internationally-harmonised disclosure landscape is crucial for enabling financial market participants to evaluate and price-in sustainability risks and impacts when making investment decisions. This study structurally analyses three proposals for sustainability and climate-related disclosure standards, published by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in March and April 2022, along our ‘seven building blocks for effective disclosure standards’. For each building block, we evaluate…

Publication

Bridging sustainable finance and sustainable land use initiatives to reduce deforestation: An overview of EU and Brazilian legislation

November 28, 2022 - This technical briefing highlights sustainable finance and sustainable land-use regulations in Brazil and the EU and aims to support regulatory cooperation between the two.Supporting regulatory cooperation on anti-deforestation between Brazil and the European Union Land use change contributes to 23% of global emissions and leads to high biodiversity loss. Deforestation is a major threat to both. Sustainable finance is about “shifting the trillions” from unsustainable towards sustainable economic activities. Therefore, cooperation on anti-deforestation regulation between Brazil and the EU needs to be fostered. To illustrate this, in this policy brief we address the following questions: How can the sustainable finance toolbox support transformation in the land-use sector? What are the EU's plans to halt deforestation caused through its supply chains? And what regulations…

Publication

Our Remarks on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards

- These are our comments to EFRAG's draft of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) with a focus on improving disclosure requirements to reveal unsustainable economic activities that contribute to deforestation.Our comments to the ESRS drafts by EFRAG are the product of an intense collaboration with a group of international experts on topics including agriculture, biodiversity, forestry, the circular economy and more. Our goal is raising the ambition of the ESRS to effectively use disclosure requirements as a powerful tool to uncover economic activities related to deforestation and help revert land use change, biodiversity loss and climate change. Besides the cross-cutting and topical standards included in the ESRS, EFRAG is currently focusing on the development of 40 sector standards. We will thus continue our collaboration with experts to provide valuable…

Publication

Key actions to safeguard against deforestation in the EU Taxonomy

November 24, 2022 - This paper sets out key actions to better safeguard against deforestation in the EU Taxonomy, building on the key findings of our scrutiny of the Taxo4 report from the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance.This paper sets out key actions to better safeguard against deforestation in the EU Taxonomy, building on the key findings of our scrutiny of the Taxo4 report (Technical screening criteria of the EU Taxonomy's remaining 4 environmental objectives by the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance). Deforestation is an important threat to the EU Taxonomy's environmental objectives, not only as a direct result of certain economic activities (such as agriculture, farming, mining or construction), but also because many sectors and industries are (indirectly) responsible for deforestation through forest-risk commodities in their supply chains. The EU Taxonomy is structured along different economic…

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Dr. Elisabeth Hoch

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Latest released papers

3rd Finance Briefing: Carbon Crediting Mechanisms, Nature-Based solutions and Smallholders

CBAM: Challenges and Opportunities: A Case Study of the Brazilian Fertiliser Sector | T20 – Think Tank Engagement Group – G20 Brazil’s Presidency 2024

Greening Trade – Making New Global Trade Agendas Work for a Just Climate and Sustainability Transition

A Framework for Enhancing International Climate Finance Flows | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

Enabling Local Governance to Mitigate the Climate and Biodiversity Crises | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

Public Consultation: Feedback on the ESRS Set 1 Delegated Act

Driving Sustainable Consumption through Policy Innovations in Value Chains | ThinkTwenty (T20) India 2023 – Official Engagement Group of G20

Public Consultation: Feedback on the Draft Taxonomy Delegated Act

Comparative Analysis of Upcoming Disclosure Standards: Key Steps to Raise Ambition (and the case of deforestation)

Bridging sustainable finance and sustainable land use initiatives to reduce deforestation: An overview of EU and Brazilian legislation

Our Remarks on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards

Key actions to safeguard against deforestation in the EU Taxonomy

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