Transatlantic Exchange on Capacity Markets Even the strongest proponents of the Energiewende agree that Germany needs to reform its energy system to accommodate the next influx of renewables while maintaining security of supply of conventional power at all times. The United States has extensive experience with capacity markets from which the German debate could benefit. As such, a German delegation consisting of national and state energy policy makers and experts will visit the United States from September 1 to 5, 2014.
TTIP – Selling Out Standards? The central aspect of TTIP is the harmonization of standards and technical regulations. What impacts could this have? Christine Chemnitz offers a background paper on the role of standards in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. By Christine Chemnitz
Let‘s Talk About Opportunities! A Plea For New Industry Policies Where digitisation moves in, business models and production processes change. Established companies along with their employees often perceive this as a threat. Digitisation brings structural change, but it also creates space for new things, for innovative renewal. By Kerstin Andreae and Dieter Janecek
Monetizing Nature: Taking Precaution on a Slippery Slope In the wake of declining political will for environmental protection, many in the environmental community are advocating for the monetization of nature. Some argue that monetization, by revealing the economic contribution of nature and its services, can heighten public awareness and bolster conservation efforts. However, such an approach collapses nature’s complex functions into a set of commodities stripped from their social, cultural, and ecological context and can pose a threat to the poor and indigenous communities who depend on the land for their livelihood. By Barbara Unmüßig
Kansas' Climate Change Debate Settled in Europe As Kansas legislators argue about whether climate change is happening, European leaders act. Read the newest article by Andy Marso, a 2014 recipient of the Transatlantic Energy and Climate Network's Energy and Climate Media Fellowship. By Andy Marso
Germany's Cautionary, But Hopeful, Renewable Energy Tale On a recent Monday morning, Jan Peter Klatt sat in his office in Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and strained to hear a recording of an interview with Kansas Sen. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona. Knox was making one last unsuccessful pitch to repeal Kansas’ renewable energy standards by citing Germany, where he said the transition from fossil fuels to renewables was “de-industrializing” the nation. “It isn’t,” Klatt says. “And especially it wouldn’t be de-industrializing for the States (now). We have to differentiate between the past and the future.” By Andy Marso
Takeaways for Europe from the EPA’s Clean Power Plan To understand the importance of the U.S. EPA’s proposed regulations on carbon pollution, consider the political risk taken by Obama, its international leverage, and the implications for U.S. industry. By Roric McCorristin
Risky Reserves At least 29 major companies, including oil producers, are basing their internal planning on the assumption that climate policies will be reality as soon as 2020. Do governments share this expectation? By Lili Fuhr and Johnny West