“Inefficient climate policy”
German climate policy often overlooks the important principle of keeping costs at a minimum, economists Hubertus Bardt and Thilo Schaefer write in a guest commentary for the Handelsblatt. “Of course, there might be good reasons to diverge from this principle in individual cases,” but “when the exception becomes the norm, something is wrong,” they argue. In 2016, 9.6 billion euros of support were invested into solar installations, “equaling about 400 euros per saved tonne of CO2”, the researchers from the industry-affiliated IW Köln institute say. “The next government has to make climate policy more efficient. The EEG auctions are an important first step,” they argue.
See the CLEW dossier The energy transition and climate change for more information.