Germany is in the climate crisis future. The challenges are great, the design strength also.
Germany sleeps away its future, the host should sheep be able to alert photo: Marius Becker/dpa
Germany had to in the past few decades, hardly great steps to secure the conditions for its prosperity. From the economic miracle of the reunification, to overcome the Euro crisis: it has managed to allow many citizens a good and safe life. This good overall balance has been decisively facilitated by favourable circumstances such as the struck by the United States in the liberal international order.
But the beginning of the 2020s, the Situation is basically: Not only the digitization requires in-depth reforms in the traditionally strong sectors of the economy, nationalist governments undermine the multilateralism and free trade, of the export world champion Germany still depends heavily.
in Addition, the always more drastic effects of the climate crisis in almost all policy fields and areas of life. In a radically changing world, to act is to slow to Act, or not at all a guarantee for it to be outdated and to lose the control over the events.
engineers and researchers every day, such as the digitization of the real world will increasingly dominate. But the German reaction to it is so far weak. In particular, medium-sized companies are still lagging behind in the use of digital technology, Germany produces too few innovative Start-ups and threatens to miss the transition to electric mobility. The announcement of the first Tesla factory in the vicinity of Berlin, is another sign of alarm for the German car companies.
Equally rapid changes on the international stage. Traditional supporters of multilateralism such as the United States to withdraw increasingly into national Fortresses, the geopolitical climate is getting rougher. The damage they do to the German export sector in particular. In the future, Germany will have to be much more active for their own interests and values stand for.
the people’s economic situation should be alarming. Although a recession was avoided, in the year 2019 also tens of thousands of Jobs were lost, however, in the future, industries such as wind energy.
the climate crisis depends on all of these changes closely, but it is thought to rarely with them. Its consequences are already in Germany, real: In the year 2018, damages in the amount of 700 million euros, caused by the extreme drought in agriculture alone.
In Parts of Germany, inland waterway transport came to a Standstill, cooling water for industrial sites became scarce, and the ski tourism in the Alps, stands in front of the collapse. The climate crisis has also foreign and security policy consequences, it is increasingly a cause of Migration and conflict.
In climate protection, Germany is not a pioneer any more. Symptoms of Stagnierens of the German climate policy are many: the floor Expansion of renewable energies, the spreading of the already slow Carbon phase-out and the Lack of plans for a competitive green industry.
there are studies of various institutions show, by the Federal Association of German industry (BDI) to the Organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD), the need for an ambitious climate can ensure policy competitiveness and growth. Industry and SMEs would benefit from an innovation offensive for green technologies.
The challenge of climate protection, therefore, is not Whether, but How. How are we to secure the business location and social cohesion in the Transition to a climate-neutral economy? What policy needs to happen in order for Germany to secure part of the cake in the field of electric mobility, the Greening of the industry and the transition to 100 percent renewable energy and at the same time, a fair structural change for the Affected can ensure?
The good news is that Germany still has room for manoeuvre. To secure the prosperity but it will require decisive Action across all policy fields. It is particularly important to consider the design of the forthcoming Transformation, and in particular the next Phase of digitisation and the Transition to climate neutrality, together.
For this, we need new political structures: Strategic, responsibility for climate protection and energy policy must lie at the Chancellery, with the support of a climate Ministry with strong skills for the implementation. In addition, experts from all the ministries should work out common solutions, which are the cross-cutting nature of climate protection.
This is also a strategy that the financial market brings stakeholders on Board, an investment strategy for the development of a green industry 4.0, and social policies for a fair process of structural change.
Not least of all, must take on Germany international a lot more responsibility and climate protection as a Central part of German foreign policy anchor. The presidency of the EU Council in the second half of the year 2020 offers a great opportunity. Also the European Green Deal forward and to stir up international climate-policy ambition, the world in the coming autumn, the upcoming EU-China summit in Leipzig, Germany.
The challenges are immense, the design strength of liberal democracies, it is, historically, but also. Because one thing is clear: Who wants that everything stays at least as good as it is now needs to change a lot of things.
