Climate Expert Warns of Setbacks Post Government Shift
Government shift may impede climate progress, warns expert Kemfert - Worry escalates among experts about potential retaliation toward climate change policies post-government shift
Take one look, and it's clear that renowned economist Claudia Kemfert is up in arms about the new federal government's transitions in climate policy. Kemfert, an expert at the DIW Berlin, fears a backward step in climate protection following the recent political shake-up.
Her main beef? The decision to yank climate protection from the economics ministry and plop it down in the environmental department. Kemfert argues this move is a strategic blunder because climate policy is, in her eyes, an economic issue at its core. Boiling it down, she calls climate policy an "economic bridge too far."
Let's talk the Heating Act here for a minute. Kemfert points to assessments by the Expert Council on Climate Questions, which clearly signal a need for catch-up, not just in the transportation sector but in buildings too. But she's frustrated because political campaigns against the Heating Act have led to a surge in gas heating system installations, a move that's counterproductive when it comes to emission reduction.
She's also pushing for beefier financial backing for "consequential energy saving."
Katherina Reiche's (CDU) plans for new gas power plants catch Kemfert's ire too, who deems them as "bloated." She'd rather see more focus on flexibilized biogas plants, stating that hydropower, the energy system's flexibilization, and large batteries offer viable alternative solutions.
Berlin’s Lorenz Gösta Beutin of the Left Party isn't impressed with Reiche's gas power plant proposals either. He's all about a decentralized, socially just energy transition with a focus on renewables and public investments. In Beutin's view, linking climate protection, energy security, and social justice is the name of the game.
- Claudia Kemfert
- Setbacks
- Climate protection
- Government changes
- New federal government
- DIW Berlin
- Heating Act
- Katherina Reiche
- Gas power plants
- Decentralized energy transition
- Renewable energy
- Public investments
Hidden Insights:
- The restructuring of climate policy under the new German government is raising eyebrows among experts, leading to potential political and bureaucratic challenges, as well as a risk of slowing down climate action if it impacts the industrial sector.
- The decision shifts the responsibility for international climate policy back to the Environment Ministry, which could weaken Germany's previous strategic integration of climate policies with security and development objectives.
- The division of climate protection under the Environment Ministry and energy under the Economic Ministry may lead to a more sectoral approach, potentially complicating coordination across government departments.
- Claudia Kemfert, an economist from DIW Berlin, fears that the new federal government's changes in climate policy may lead to setbacks in climate protection, as she views climate policy as an economic issue at its core.
- Kemfert is particularly concerned about the restructuring of the Heating Act, stating that political campaigns against it are counterproductive for emission reduction and signaling a need for catch-up, not just in the transportation sector but in buildings as well.
- Katherina Reiche's plans for new gas power plants attract criticism from Kemfert, who prefers a focus on more flexible and environmentally friendly solutions like flexibilized biogas plants, hydropower, and large batteries for the energy system's flexibilization.
