Changing Climate and Energy

The Federal Academy for Public Administration (BAköV) hosted a high-level event as part of the "Brühler Expert Discussions." Professors Klaus Töpfer, Sabine Schlacke, Jürgen Schmid, and Ulrich Cubasch presented their knowledge and recommendations regarding changes in climate and the energy system. The event was moderated by Dr. Camilla Bausch.

The international climate negotiations in Doha, Qatar, had just been completed without any exceptional breakthroughs, so the timing was suitable for civil servants to ask and discuss questions about international climate protection and the importance of the German energy transition, including about its goals, accomplishments, and time horizon.

In the Federal Press Office in Berlin, BAköV President Günther Wurster opened the event. Subsequently, Professor Töpfer (Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), former Minister, and former Director of the UN Environment Programme) outlined paths for a "transformation to climate compatability" based on his extensive experience in science and politics. Professor Schlacke (Dean of Students in the Law Department at the University of Bremen) then described concretely the possibilities for and necessity of “creating a sustainable legal framework to facilitate the transformation.” She referred particularly to the Transformation Report of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), to which she contributed as a member of the WBGU council. Concrete technological possibilities for the “transformation of energy production” were presented by Professor Schmid. He was able to draw not only upon WBGU knowledge (he as well is a member of the council) but also upon extensive experience in research and assessment gained as former Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology IWES. The impacts of human actions and climate change at the global, national, and local levels were then elaborated by Professor Cubasch (Director of the Institute of Meteorology at the Free University of Berlin). Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were discussed, to which Professor Cubasch has contributed significantly. The moderator, Dr. Bausch (Senior Fellow and Senior Management at Ecologic Institute), then summarized the important aspects of the event for the audience.

Directed by the many questions and contributions from the audience, a broad spectrum of different aspects was addressed. It became clear that the experts agree on Germany’s ability to send an important signal about the plausibility of transformation to the rest of the world, given the broad societal support for the energy transition and the clear GHG emissions reduction goals. If the transition is successful in Germany, it will inspire other countries to pursue their own.

The potential for solar and wind power and the necessary technologies to harness it are already available in Germany, according to the speakers. If the proper framework is put in place, the transformation can be an environmental and economic success story. It was argued that developments have exceeded expectations already—both in terms of the expansion of renewable energy generation as well as the rate at which production costs for renewable energy technologies have been decreasing. However, in order to continue building upon this success, a number of challenges need to be overcome, including the extension of the German and European electricity networks and the development of legal frameworks for their use. At the German and European level, more improvements and new investments and structures will be needed. These challenges must be approached proactively so that the macroeconomic benefits of the energy transition (approximately 500 billion Euro could be saved) can be realized. One recommendation would have the state, as a “formative state,” determine the direction of development in a participatory process, for example, through a climate protection law. Additionally, the importance of increasing energy efficiency in the energy production as well as in the transport sector was highlighted.

The speakers underlined the importance of the transition to a climate-friendly energy system in Germany and across the globe for avoiding dangerous impacts of climate change. The globally accepted goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels should be the point of reference. It is clear, based on the current trend in emissions growth and the promised reductions of various countries, that the global community is not yet ambitious enough to reach this goal. There is already evidence of ongoing climate change: Global average temperature increases as well as the increasing arctic ice melt have already been clearly measured. In Germany, the average yearly temperature in the south is expected to rise considerably. More precipitation is expected in winter and less in summer. Considering these trends, adaptation to climate change should also be given more attention.

It is still possible to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. The technological solutions are available to successfully transform the energy system. Nonetheless, considerable political and societal efforts will be needed to secure the success of this transition at national and global level.