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Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft

Das grüne Klimaschutz-Sofortprogramm: Mögliche Auswirkungen auf Emissionen und Gesellschaft

The Climate Protection Program of the Green Party: Potential Impacts on Emissions and Society

In this paper, the effects of the climate protection program of the green party are evaluated with regard to the societal distribution effects and the potentials for emission reductions. Due to ambiguities in the design of numerous measures, it is impossible to quantify the emission reductions associated with them in total. Instead, the focus here is on those of the large variety of measures that are sufficiently clearly formulated in the program to allow an assessment, at least in qualitative terms. Baerbock and Habeck (2021, S. 2) announce in the climate protection program, among other things, that they want to expand renewable power generation capacity more quickly and bring forward the coal phase-out to 2030. These national measures create unnecessarily high costs. It would be more cost-effective to leave these to the market, that is, to rising prices for emission certificates. On the other hand, Baerbock and Habeck’s (2021, S. 7) suggestion to launch a transatlantic climate partnership between the EU and the U.S. is commendable, as international cooperation is essential for effective global climate policy. For effective reductions in global emissions, however, such a bilateral alliance is insufficient. An alliance for the purpose of effective and efficient reduction of greenhouse gas emissions should be much more comprehensive and be initiated at least at the level of the G20 countries, including an agreement on the establishment of a uniform CO2 price in these countries. Experts believe that only a comprehensive climate protection agreement on a uniform CO2 price can effectively reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

Frondel, M. (2022), Das grüne Klimaschutz-Sofortprogramm: Mögliche Auswirkungen auf Emissionen und Gesellschaft: The Climate Protection Program of the Green Party: Potential Impacts on Emissions and Society. Zeitschrift für Energiewirtschaft, 46, 1, 1-20

DOI: 10.1007/s12398-022-00317-4