Expensive and inefficient climate nationalism

Global Energy Solutions comments on the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on the Climate Protection Act. The court targets a lack of intergenerational justice and calls on policymakers to take measures that lead to the achievement of the 2°C or better even 1.5°C target. The central element of the argumentation is the so-called budget approach. GES finds all this unconvincing, also because it is not in the sole power of German politics to achieve the required target. Climate change is a global problem and can only be solved internationally. The court further argues that a lack of national efforts could be an incentive for others not to develop ambitions either. In view of the real situation, this argument is also unconvincing. China, for example, now emits more CO2 than all other industrialised countries combined – and continues to export coal-fired power plants. The country promises climate neutrality by 2060. Expensive and inefficient climate protection measures in Germany weaken our competitiveness and will certainly not persuade China to change its own approach. German money could be used many times more effectively internationally. According to all historical experience, the solutions to the climate problem come from new technologies. The decisive question is to what extent we commit ourselves financially worldwide and what we contribute to the development and dissemination of these technologies, and not which reduction paths we take at home.

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