Ambitious climate targets can create job opportunities in Germany – analysis
Clean Energy Wire
More ambitious climate protection can strengthen the German economy and create jobs, according to an analysis by the Society for Economic Structural Research (GWS) commissioned by Greenpeace Germany. The analysis looked at 25 climate protection scenarios, as presented in 12 different studies from institutes including the DIW, Fraunhofer, Öko-Institut and Prognos, and their respective economic consequences. On average, the climate action scenarios would create 275,000 additional jobs and add 1.1 percent in growth to the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, the analysis found, while two of the studies predicted a negative effect on employment. The construction and electrical industry would benefit in particular, as well as the trade and service sectors. In the fossil energy and the car industries, however, employment figures would fall. The next German government should “push ahead with ecological modernisation with all its might”, to ensure people benefit from the shift to renewable energy and electromobility, Mauricio Vargas of Greenpeace said in a statement about the report. "Without improvements in climate protection, the economy will miss out on growth impulses and risk competitive disadvantages.” The German carmakers' lagging behind in the switch to clean engines is a cautionary example here, Vargas said, and the potential coalition parties should take this danger seriously.
The shift to electric cars has led to worries in Germany’s car industry that many jobs could be lost, as combustion engine vehicles are replaced with battery-driven cars. While brands of the Volkswagen Group, Mercedes and BMW all have announced far-reaching plans to restructure their production, smaller producers that supply the combustion engine industry could face much greater difficulties in weathering the shift to electric mobility.
