Arno Behrens

Arno Behrens is a Senior Environmental Economist in the Environment, Natural Resources, and Blue Economy Global Practice of the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region. He co-authored the World Bank report “Squaring the Circle: Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition” and several national circular economy reports across the ECA region.  With over 20 years of experience, Behrens specializes in circular economy, green growth, climate change, and energy transition. Before joining the World Bank, he worked with organizations such as UNDP, OSCE, UNIDO, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the European Commission. He also served for over a decade as Head of Energy and Sustainable Resources at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels.  In addition to his role at the World Bank, Behrens is a visiting professor at LUISS University in Rome, Italy, where he teaches environmental and energy policy. He holds a PhD in Social Ecology from the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies of Austrian Universities (IFF), Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt, and an MA in Economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.