Climate issues
Most recently, in the 21st century, climate issues have become increasingly
important and Germany has agreed an end to domestic coal extraction.
This was followed by the decision to phase out nuclear energy, albeit with a lack of
initial resolve and consistency. Today there is widespread consensus
surrounding Germany’s Energy and Climate Action Plan 2050, although
naturally with a wide range of preferences and proposed timescales.
As an industrialised nation deriving 22% of its electricity from nuclear power,
Germany responded in a ‘typically German’ manner to the 2011 nuclear
accident in Japan by radically readjusting and re-evaluating energy and climate-
related challenges and issues. Although this shift in energy policy is proving
extremely expensive for German society as a whole, the resulting technological
advances in solar, wind and bioenergy will ultimately benefit all nations.
Germany is already developing new technological responses to important
energy and climate issues. Power-to-gas, power-to-heat and power-to-liquid
initiatives and the key solar energy and hydrogen megatrend, where significant
cost reductions are still needed, promise greater sustainability and climate
protection.
EU Forecast
euf:b.a18b:135/nws-01