“Germany Is a Coal-Burning, Gas-Guzzling Climate Change Hypocrite”

Germany is an industrial leader with a reputation for being “a righteous leader in climate protection” - but a closer look at its actions suggests it deserves to be labelled a “climate change hypocrite”, Paul Hockenos writes in Foreign Policy. While it may seem that for the past 15 years Germany has expanded  renewable energy production without having to compromise on its economic performance, the country is likely to miss its 2020 emissions reduction target, casting doubt on the benefits of the Energiewende. “Germany’s hypocrisy is ultimately a failure of its political leadership”, Hockenos says, arguing that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s time in office since 2005 has been a “triumph for the fossil fuel lobby”.

Read the article in English here.

See the CLEW article Germany’s energy use and emissions likely to rise yet again in 2017 and the CLEW dossier The energy transition and climate change for more information.