Romain Weikmans

DESCRIPTION

Romain Weikmans is a Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His main research interests are related to global climate governance. He teaches various courses on environmental policies and politics at ULB. Romain is a contributing author to the 2020 UNEP Adaptation Gap Report and to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (WG2) to be published in 2021-2022.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

Romain’s current research focus is on the governance of international climate finance on the one hand and on the role of transparency in multilateral climate governance on the other hand. He has also worked on climate change adaptation and on the mainstreaming of environmental considerations in development cooperation.

Romain is the author or co-author of almost 30 scientific book chapters and articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals. He is the co-author of L’adaptation au changement climatique (Editions La Découverte, 2014, with V. Van Gameren and E. Zaccai), one of the first books published in French on climate change adaptation. Romain is affiliated with the Earth System Governance Project and with the Climate Social Science Network.

Romain was the Vice-Chair of the Working Group ‘Energy-Climate’ of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development (2018-2021). He was a member of the Transdisciplinary Advisory Board in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Joint Programming Initiative "Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe" (JPI Climate) (2019-2021).

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Romain earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Management from ULB in August 2015. He holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences and Management (ULB), a Certificate in International Relations (Université Catholique de Louvain) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human and Social Sciences (Université de Liège). He was an intern at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi. Romain also was an Exchange Student at the Université de Lausanne (Switzerland) and at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).

Romain pursued its postdoctoral research with Prof. J. Timmons Roberts at the Institute for Environment and Society – Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island, USA) from September 2015 to August 2016 (thanks to the financial support of the Belgian American Educational Foundation). He then returned to ULB as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) until 2021. Romain visited the Environmental Policy Group – Wageningen University to work with Prof. Aarti Gupta in 2020 and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs to collaborate with Prof. Antto Vihma in 2021.

Teaching

• ULB, « Climat : sciences et politiques » (avec le Prof. Frank Pattyn), depuis 2021.
• ULB, « Questions de politiques environnementales dans les pays du Sud », depuis 2019.
• ULB, direction d’environ cinq mémoires de fin d’études par an depuis 2018.
• Sciences Po Paris, « The global politics of financing low-carbon and climate-resilient development », 2019-2021.
• Sciences Po Lille, « Environnement, développement et coopération internationale », 2018-2020.
• Brown University, « Engaged Climate Policy » (avec le Prof. J. Timmons Roberts), 2015-2016.
• Oxford University, « Climate Change Adaptation Reading Group », 2012-2013.

Publications

Climate Change Adaptation
 

• Leiter, T, Weikmans, R., Koelle, B., Kloeck, C., & Vaughn, C. (Forthcoming in 2022). Chapter 17.5. Adaptation Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning. Working Group II Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
• van Gameren, V., Weikmans, R., & Zaccai, E. (2014). L’adaptation au changement climatique. Éditions La Découverte, Paris.

International Climate Finance
 

• Pauw, P., Weikmans, R., Watson, C., Jahns, H., Prowse, M., Quevedo, A., & Puri, J. (2021). Global progress on financing for adaptation. 2020 Adaptation Gap Report. United Nations Environment Programme.
• Roberts, J.T., Weikmans, R., Robinson, S.-a., Ciplet, D., Khan, M., & Falzon, D. (2021). Rebooting a failed promise of climate finance. Nature Climate Change.
• Robinson, S.-a., Khan, M., Roberts, J.T., Weikmans, R., & Ciplet, D. (2021). Financing loss and damage from slow onset events in developing countries. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability.
• Weikmans, R., Roberts, J.T, & Robinson, S.-a. (2020). What counts as climate finance? Define urgently. Nature.
• Khan, M., Robinson, S.-A., Weikmans, R., Ciplet, D., & Roberts, J. T. (2020). Twenty-five years of adaptation finance through a climate justice lens. Climatic Change.
• Weikmans, R., & Roberts, J.T. (2019). The international climate finance accounting muddle: Is there hope on the horizon?. Climate and Development.
• Weikmans, R. (2018). Évaluation de l’aide et mobilisation financière internationale autour de l’adaptation au changement climatique. Revue internationale des études du développement.
• Gewirtzman, J., Natson, S., Richards, J.-A., Hoffmeister, V., Durand, A., Weikmans, R., Huq, S., & Roberts, J.T. (2018). Financing loss and damage: reviewing options under the Warsaw International Mechanism. Climate Policy.
• Weikmans, R. (2017). Comprendre la mobilisation financière autour de l’aide à l’adaptation au changement climatique. Critique internationale.
• Roberts, J.T., Natson, S., Hoffmeister, V., Durand, A., Weikmans, R., Gewirtzman, J., & Huq, S. (2017). How will we pay for loss and damage?. Ethics, Policy & Environment.
• Weikmans, R., Roberts, J.T., Baum, J., Bustos, C., & Durand, A. (2017). Assessing the credibility of how climate adaptation aid projects are categorised. Development in Practice.
• Weikmans, R., & Zaccai, E. (2017). Pourquoi aider les pays en développement ? Conceptions de la justice dans l’aide à l’adaptation au changement climatique. Développement durable et territoires.
• Roberts, J.T., & Weikmans, R. (2017). Fragmentation, failing trust and enduring tensions over what counts as climate finance. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics.
• Weikmans, R. (2017). International Adaptation Finance: Between Hope and Reality. In Thiébault, S., Laville, B., & Euzen, A. (Dir.). Adapting to Climate Change: A Question for our Societies. Edisens, Paris.
• Weikmans, R. (2016). Le rôle de la coopération au développement dans le financement international de l’adaptation au changement climatique. In Zacharie, A. (Dir.). La nouvelle géographie du développement. Coopérer dans un monde en mutation. La Muette, Bruxelles.
• Weikmans, R., & Roberts, J.T. (2016). Élaborer un système robuste de comptabilisation du financement climatique international. Liaison Énergie-Francophonie.
• Weikmans, R. (2016). Dimensions éthiques de l’allocation du financement international de l’adaptation au changement climatique. Vertigo.
• Weikmans, R. (2013). Du changement incrémental au changement transformationnel : actions de l’aide internationale à l’adaptation. Actes du 1^er Congrès interdisciplinaire du Développement Durable : quelle transition pour nos sociétés ?.
• Weikmans, R. (2012). Le coût de l’adaptation aux changements climatiques dans les pays en développement. Vertigo.

Transparency in Multilateral Climate Governance

• Weikmans, R., & Gupta, A. (2021). Assessing state compliance with multilateral climate transparency requirements: ‘Transparency Adherence Indices’ and their research and policy implications. Climate Policy.
• Weikmans, R., van Asselt, H., & Roberts, J. T. (2020). Transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement and their (un)likely impact on strengthening the ambition of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Climate Policy.
• Ciplet, D., Adams, K., Weikmans, R., & Roberts, J.T. (2018). The Transformative Capability of Transparency in Global Environmental Governance. Global Environmental Politics.
• van Asselt, H., Weikmans, R., & Roberts, J.T. (2019). Pocket Guide to Transparency under the UNFCCC. Oxford Climate Policy / European Capacity Building Initiative, Oxford.

Environmental mainstreaming in Development Cooperation

• Ledant, J.-P., Weikmans, R., N’Dri, F. A., & Yao, J.-P. (2018). Guide d’intégration des changements climatiques dans les politiques agricoles et forestières de Côte d’Ivoire. COTA et ULB, Bruxelles.
• Ledant, J.-P., N’Dri, F. A., Weikmans, R., & Yao, J.-P. (2018). Diagnostic de l’intégration des changements climatiques dans la planification et la budgétisation des politiques agricoles et forestières nationales, sectorielles et locales en Côte d’Ivoire. COTA et ULB, Bruxelles.
• Ledant, J.-P., Weikmans, R., N’Dri, F. A., & Yao, J.-P. (2018). Inventaire commenté des approches existantes pour l’intégration du changement climatique dans les politiques sectorielles liées à l'agriculture en conditions tropicales. COTA et ULB, Bruxelles.

Other publications
 

• Romain’s publications are available through DI-fusion, ResearchGate, GoogleScholar or ORCID.

Other activities

Media coverage highlights (année 2021)

• The Washington Post. As leaders gather for G-7, a key question: Will rich countries help poor ones grapple with climate change?. Research featured, 7 June.
• Radio Campus. Histoire de savoir : justice climatique. Interview, 6 mai.
• LN24. Sommet climat : quels sont les enjeux ?. Interview, 22 avril.
• La Libre Belgique. Joe Biden passe son test climatique. Interview, 21 avril.
• Grist Magazine. New taxes on flights could provide poor countries money to fight climate change. Interview, 22 February.
• Thomson Reuters Foundation. As U.S. rejoins Paris pact, hopes rise for reopening of climate finance tap. Interview, 19 February.
• The Financial Express. Climate funding likely to go up as US rejoins Paris pact. Interview, 19 February.
• The Guardian. Call to tax international flights to raise climate funds for poor countries. Interview, 18 February.
• NOS Nieuwsuur. Rijke landen rommelen met klimaatfinanciering voor ontwikkelingslanden. Interview, 24 January.
• Nature. Global climate action needs trusted finance data. Interview, 6 January.