Germany’s economic government advisor council says national CO2 serious option

The German economic experts’ council (Wirtschaftsweise) has called for the introduction of a uniform price on carbon emissions that covers the transport and energy sector as well as individual households. In its annual report, the council of five economic advisors to the German government says a floor price on CO₂ emissions well above the current price level of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) is “favourable even if it can only be introduced on the national level”. The council stops short of defining an appropriate price level and says the German government should “do more than up until now” to strengthen the ETS, which should “consistently include all emitters and sectors of final energy consumption”. A uniform price on emissions in all sectors would “ensure that the electricity, transport and heating sectors jointly conrtribute to emissions reduction”.

Read the council’s full report in German here and a press release in English here.

See the CLEW article German carbon tax most efficient was to meet climate goals – study for more information.