Understanding environmental governance in turbulent times.

European governance has long entered a zone of turbulence, in the forms of environmental, institutional and scalar turbulence. Examples of sources include Euroscepticism, Covid-19, Brexit, American elections and flip-flopping foreign policy and the internal dynamics within the EU institutions. Yet, in the midst of this turbulence, the Von der Leyen Commission has launched the European Green Deal, with the outline goal of making Europe the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050 and ensuring a sustainable economy through just transition. Whilst the Green Deal was in part a response to turbulence, it also must engage with and address continuing turbulence within the EU if it is to be effective and fulfil its ambition. Consequently, this article considers the challenges posed by turbulence for the EU, by mapping turbulence theory as developed by Ansell et al on to EU environmental governance. It then outlines considerations policy actors should bear in mind when responding to these challenges, including through engaging with concepts of legislative gridlock and pathways to avoid such gridlock.