Die Verschiebung des deutschen Ziels der Treibhausgasneutralität vom Jahr 2045 auf das Jahr 2050: Mögliche ökonomische und ökologische Effekte
Diskussionspapier
Business associations are currently calling for Germany's target year for achieving climate neutrality to be postponed from 2045 to 2050, thereby aligning the national target with the European Union's climate neutrality target. There are good reasons for this demand, as explained in this article, foremost among them the immense cost savings for the German economy. However, a postponement would also be advisable because effective climate policy that has an impact on a global scale is only possible through international cooperation, not through unilateral national action (Ockenfels, Schmidt 2019). In view of the challenges associated with an overly ambitious climate policy, the question arises as to why Germany should take on the associated risks and costs when the resulting greenhouse gas savings can only be symbolic on a global scale. This question is all the more pertinent given that playing a pioneering role could have serious counterproductive repercussions for Germany, above all the possible loss of social acceptance for climate policy.