Green Party: CO2 tax is not enough

As new warnings of drought show that "the climate crisis is intensifying", the German government must implement effective climate policies, and fast, Annalena Baerbock, co-head of the opposition Green Party says in an article by Cerstin Gammelin for Süddeutsche Zeitung. A carbon tax is not enough, Baerbock argues. “We need a mix of instruments, strong regulation and, most of all, a coal exit law,” she told the paper, adding that a carbon tax would have to price a tonne of CO2 at at least 40 euros. This would increase the cost of a car journey from Berlin to Munich by 3.50 euros. Revenue from a CO2 tax should go back to consumers in the from of “energy money” which would benefit lower-income households with smaller carbon footprints most.

Baerbock’s comments come amid an ongoing debate on carbon pricing and its possible design in Germany, as the country looks for ways to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Earlier this week, SPD politicians suggested a CO2 price of 20 euros in the heating and transport sectors as a start. Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised a decision on a carbon price policy by the end of the year and several ministries have commissioned studies to define the design of such a scheme.