German policy shamefully neglects building emissions – commentary

Buildings cause a third of German emissions, but the government continues to “shamefully neglect” this problem, writes Bernhard Pötter in a commentary for tageszeitung. “It doesn’t really bother anyone that all climate targets are missed in this sector, just like in transportation,” Pötter says. This week’s study by energy think tank Agora Energiewende* and the European Climate Foundation has shown that there are no alternatives to increasing insulation rates, he points out. “Insulation benefits everything: New jobs, growth, less emissions, more comfortable homes. Somebody must finally feel responsible in this government and throw their weight behind it.”

Read the commentary in German here.

For background, read the dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency.

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.