“Driving and driven”

China and the USA ratifying the Paris Climate Agreement shortly before the start of the G20 summit in China proves that both countries now see more chances than risks in climate protection, writes Michael Bauchmüller in Süddeutsche Zeitung. The move will push more investors to shift money from fossil to renewable energies. “The US and China have decided to become drivers of the transformation, before they are driven by the markets,” according to Bauchmüller. In contrast, the Berlin government coalition is struggling with its own climate goals, as shown by the fight over the Climate Action Plan 2050. Conservative, business-friendly politicians are “afraid of the future that others have begun to write”.

Read the commentary in German here.

For background on the Climate Action Plan, read the CLEW factsheet Climate Action Plan 2050: Negotiating a path to decarbonisation and the article CO2 targets and coal deadline omitted from Climate Action Plan draft.