The European Union (EU) has long proclaimed itself a leader of global climate ambition and a champion of the low carbon economy. The controversial debate on the EU’s climate and energy policies beyond 2020 will have far-reaching impacts on the global climate trajectory. Due to the influence of powerful interest groups, Europe might roll back its commitment to combating climate change, warns Silvia Brugger.
All posts tagged: Lobbying
Censored EU Commission Numbers and Biased Scenarios – How Powerful Interests Undermine the Energy Transition in Europe
The European Union (EU) is currently setting out its climate and energy policy framework for 2030. Whether the EU should commit to binding targets for emissions reduction, renewables and energy efficiency, and how ambitious such targets should be, is hotly debated in Brussels. Scenario modeling and statistics are supposed to inform politicians with sound research-based guidance for their decision making. However, it seems that these information sources are often biased in line with the interests of powerful lobby groups thus putting at stake future EU competitiveness, the delivery of the EU climate and energy security and the transformation into a low-carbon economy, find Silvia Brugger and Luca Bergamaschi.
Reforming the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) – An end to feed-in tariffs?
In his last post, Craig Morris discussed two market failures and argued that energy corporations need to assume more responsibility for risk in the energy transition. Today, he adds two more market failures and says small investors can shoulder more of the burden, but only if they have more information.
“Efficiency lacks a loud lobby”: An interview with Florentin Krause
Recently, our Craig Morris did a three-part book review of the original “Energiewende: growth and prosperity without petroleum and uranium” from 1980. He then spoke with one of the authors, Florentin Krause, who had a few bones to pick with Craig’s reading – and with the current implementation of the concept in Germany.
“Endless Energy” from Campaign to Mainstream
Envisioned to help counterbalance the public relations might of the Big Four, the Renewable Energies Agency has become a valuable think tank in its own right, writes Paul Hockenos, US freelance journalist living in Berlin.