Climate & Environmental Policy

The Energiewende - the Result of a Powerful Mass Movement from Below

Nowhere is the economic impact of the German energy transition more evident than in Bavaria where land owners and farmers have taken advantage of the new incentives to become "prosumers". In this interview with Josef Goeppel, a conservative member of the Bundestag from Bavaria, it becomes clear how German traditional conservatives are grasping the relevance of the Energiewende.

Setting the Course: The Third Meeting of the Green Climate Fund Board Lays Groundwork for Key Decisions Later this Year

At their third meeting from March 12 - 15 in Berlin, the Board of the Green Climate Fund laid the groundwork for some of the most important decisions it will have to make for the Fund's future in the remaining two Board meetings this year so that the Fund can propel the paradigm shift to low-emission, climate-resilient and gender-responsive sustainable development in recipient countries.

Gender Equality in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Where Does it Stand?

The post-2015 development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have the potential to make a positive, long-lasting difference in addressing today's myriad of unresolved challenges and fundamental crises if they focus on gender equality and macro-economic policy reform. This paper analyses how gender equality is taken up in the post-Rio+20 process.

Operationalizing a Gender-Sensitive Approach in the Green Climate Fund

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has a mandate to fund mitigation and adaption action in developing countries while "taking a gender-sensitive approach." With the Fund Board set to discuss and decide the vision, objectives and business model for the Fund, this paper makes a case for mainstreaming gender into the processes and financing of the GCF in conjunction with these decisions.

German Energy Transition #6

While the US energy sector is good for big business, Germany’s is good for citizens. Germans not only want clean power; they also want to make it themselves. When locals own and control their environment, the acceptance of renewables increases, argues Craig Morris.

What is the German Energiewende?

Germany's path to a renewable energy economy will not succeed without smart grid technologies. Some say the energy transition is impossible. What is the Energiewende? Why is it worth doing and how do citizens and small businesses in Germany invest in renewables? Check out this video

German Energy Transition #5 - Greening the Economy

Germany's transition to renewable energies is one its signature public policies of the 21st century. However, the Energiewende was not created in a vacuum. In this paper the author discusses the Energiewende's overlooked American origins.