Klimapolitik 2019

Climate policy in 2019 will be dominated by emergencies and crises. Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing almost unchecked. Even Germany, for a long time an exemplary climate policy student, will clearly miss the climate targets it has set itself for 2020. Recent scientific findings also underline that the inadequate political action is also reflected in a series of climate change consequences that will become visible not only in a few decades but already today, be it the much faster than predicted melting of the Arctic ice or the periods of prolonged drought in Europe, among others, which have considerable economic effects.

There are two main areas in which the German government can take the lead in climate policy in the face of crises and emergencies: CO2 pricing can advance the long-term goal of decarbonisation and a preventive foreign climate policy can prevent the further intensification of international trouble spots.