Carbon Critical

Climate change is more than just a collective action problem. In some cases, geopolitical competition can even help reduce emissions.

So much attention has been paid to the US climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, that the EU’s own, larger climate package has flown under the radar.

EU trade officials might be up in arms about aspects of the US Inflation Reduction Act, but it offers the best opportunity for transatlantic climate cooperation in years.

In its attempt to drastically reduce its dependency on Russian oil and gas, Europe is turning to Africa. But the move is problematic, as producing fossil fuels on the continent presents its own challenges.

There was no alternative for Germany to buying gas from Vladimir Putin, until there was. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reminded policymakers in Berlin that emergency action in the energy sector is possible.

Intra-coalition infighting, questions about EU policy, a mismatch between targets and policies—no sector better represents the climate challenges facing Germany’s government than transport.

In the days since the COP26 climate summit, it’s become clear that international conferences can only do so much to determine national climate policy. That’s no reason to despair.  

Efforts to mitigate climate damage are not going well ahead of COP26. But they could also be going much worse.

A Chinese announcement made clear that coal power is finished. But there’s a way to go before the same can be said of oil and gas.

Price-based or quantity-based mechanisms, which offer the more effective and fairer way to achieve carbon neutrality? In fact, the debate is somewhat artificial—EU climate policy needs both.

All the German parties want credit for raising climate targets. But none wants to be blamed for raising carbon prices to achieve them.

The ruling by the German constitutional court that the country’s climate law is unconstitutional is causing German politicians to press fast forward on the radical change needed to protect the climate.