Next govt must ensure faster renewables ramp-up and earlier coal exit to reach new climate targets - Wuppertal Institute

The next government after the September election should turn Germany's ambitious climate goals into concrete policies and involve all citizens in doing so, the Wuppertal Institute for climate, environment and energy writes in a package of recommendations. "The next German government is facing the task of the century. It will need to implement climate protection in concrete terms – and, above all, pay attention to social justice and the possibility of participation," says scientific director of the institute Manfred Fischedick. As for the energy transition, the institute recommends at least doubling the speed of renewable energy expansion, the intelligent integration of flexible demand and storage and the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure as well as a coal phase-out by 2030. In addition, the renovation rate for buildings should be increased to first 1.6 and then 1.75 percent per year. In industry, green electricity and power-to-X offerings will need to be expanded, the necessary infrastructures must be created, and international networking should be driven forward. At the same time, the incoming government needs to help companies implement climate-friendly processes and procedures under global competitive conditions and initiate markets for green products, the institute writes. "The next legislative period is the crucial time to turn the 2020s into a decade of implementation and to enter the climate protection path irreversibly," Fischedick added, calling for the incoming government to launch a 100-day emergency programme for climate action.

German citizens will head to the ballot box to elect a new federal parliament on 26 September, deciding which party will lead the next coalition government and, therefore, shape the country’s climate and energy policy.