
Sebastian Oberthür
Director of Research Centre
Sebastian Oberthür is the Director of the Research Centre for Environment, Economy and Energy, and Professor for Environment and Sustainable Development at the Brussels School of Governance. He is also Professor of Environmental Policy and Law at the Centre for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Eastern Finland. From 2005 to 2015, Sebastian Oberthür served as Academic Director of the Institute for European Studies (now part of the Brussels School of Governance). From 2006 to 2013, he was a member of the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC.
Before joining the Brussels School of Governance in 2005, Sebastian Oberthür served as a part-time assistant professor for international relations at the Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg. Previously, he was a senior research fellow with Ecologic, the Institute for International and European Environmental Policy in Berlin, with which he remains a Senior Policy Advisor. Sebastian Oberthür studied political science in Marburg and Berlin. He received a PhD from the Free University Berlin for his work on "The Contribution of International Regimes to Solving Environmental Problems" (summa cum laude).
Trained as a political scientist with a strong background in international law, he focuses on issues of international and European climate and environmental governance. Sebastian Oberthür has published widely on related subjects and is invited regularly as an expert to participate in and speak at relevant conferences and workshops. He serves on the editorial boards and review panels of various journals and as a reviewer of several national science foundations. He is also co-editor of the book series on "The European Union in International Affairs" with Palgrave Macmillan.
Research areas
Featured publications
Assessing the EU’s Evolving Position in Energy Geopolitics under Decarbonisation
Third time lucky? Reconciling EU climate and external energy policy during energy security crises
Advancing international cooperation for the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries: the G7 Climate Club and beyond
Towards an EU Climate Governance Framework to Deliver on the European Green Deal
Global Governance for the Decarbonisation of Energy-Intensive Industries: Exploring Sectoral Options
From emissions trading to the European Green Deal: the evolution of the climate policy mix and climate policy integration in the EU
Implementing the European Green Deal during the Evolving Energy Crisis
Institutional interplay in global environmental governance: lessons learned and future research
Advancing the energy transition: the European legal framework for the implementation of energy communities
European Foreign Policy in a Decarbonising World: Challenges and Opportunities
A Sectoral Perspective on Global Climate Governance: Analytical Foundation
The Covid-19 crisis: a critical juncture for EU climate policy development?
A sectoral perspective on international climate governance: Key findings and research priorities
The European Union’s international climate leadership: towards a grand climate strategy?
Emission reduction strategies in the EU steel industry: Implications for business model innovation
Harnessing international climate governance to drive a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
Legislative options and obstacles for energy communities in Belgium
The Geopolitics of Decarbonisation – Reshaping European Foreign Politics
Hardening and softening of multilateral climate governance towards the Paris Agreement
Assessing the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Policy Framework: Incremental change toward radical transformation?
Global governance for the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries: Great potential underexploited
Harnessing International Climate Governance to Drive Green Post-Pandemic Recovery
Harnessing International Climate Governance to Drive Green Post-Pandemic Recovery
Improving international soil governance – Analysis and recommendations
Hard or Soft Governance? The EU’s Climate and Energy Policy Framework for 2030
Projects
The European Green Deal: Governing the EU’s Transition towards Climate Neutrality and Sustainability
Jean Monnet Module: Sustainability and Trade: A European Narrative - SUSTAEN
European Commission - Jean Monnet Module
Power to X and Carbon Capture & Utilization Roadmap for Belgium
Directorate-General for Energy
Step-Chem
Policy integration: decarbonisation and security of supply in the European Union's external energy policy
Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
PLATON - PLATform for Open and Nationally accessible climate policy knowledge
Fridtjof Nansen Institute
The Research Council of Norway
Jean Monnet Network: GOVTRAN - Governing the EU's Climate and Energy Transition in Turbulent Times
Erasmus +
GST: Global Stocktake: An Opportunity for Ambition
Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions
CONNECT - Understanding the international context for Norway's low-emission economy transition
The Research Council of Norway/KLIMAFORSK Programme
Climate Diplomacy 2019-2020
ADELPHI
German Federal Foreign Office
The Climate Friendly Materials Platform
European Climate Foundation
COP21: Results, Implications, Pathways and Policies for Low-Emissions European Societies (COP21-RIPPLES)
European Commission - Horizon 2020
Contextanalyse en roadmapstudie – Vlaamse industrie koolstofcirculair en CO2-arm
VLAIO
Research network on "Fragmentation and Complexity in Global Governance" (FCGG)
Research Network on Regime (REFRACT)
Development of the International Soil Protection Law - Institutional Analysis and Making of Concrete Proposals (ECOLOGIC 730)
German Federal Environment Agency