Window of opportunity for joint transatlantic green agenda could close soon – Munich Security Conference
Clean Energy Wire
The EU and the U.S. should have strong incentives to develop a joint green agenda – given their shared aim to foster decarbonisation while “de-risking” from China – but disagreements on industrial and trade policies have blocked progress and the window of opportunity could close soon, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) writes in its 2024 report. "The lack of progress is all the more disappointing given the current warm transatlantic relations and the risk of a rising backlash against green policies on both sides of the Atlantic in light of upcoming elections," MSC's Julia Hammelehle writes.
Voters in both the EU (6-9 June) and the U.S. (5 November) will head to the polls in 2024, deciding who will lead the two blocs in the coming years and shape climate policy. While analysts say that the European Parliament could experience a shift to the right, former U.S. president Donald Trump, who had decided to pull his country out of the Paris Climate Agreement, is seeking re-election.
MSC also conducted a survey across G7 and China, India, Brazil and South Africa on how people perceive risks to their country. The Munich Security Index 2024 shows that risks connected to climate change are at the top of people's minds across almost all surveyed countries. These include extreme weather events (ranked first for G7 countries in the index); destruction of natural habitats (3rd); or mass migration as a result of wars or climate change (7th). Other top risks include cyberattacks (2nd) and Russia (4th). Germany has the highest level of concern about mass migration among the countries surveyed, with radical Islamic terrorism in second place.
The Munich Security Conference – an annual gathering of government representatives and security policy experts – will take place in the Bavarian city at the end of this week (16-18 February), with chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen scheduled to attend.
