Angela Merkel Has One Last Chance to Help the Climate
A German carbon tax would be ideal. But at this point, any progress would be worth celebrating.
Say farewell to coal.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has aspired to fight climate change at least since she was environment minister in the 1990s. This week, ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit, she may get her best chance: On Friday, her cabinet will unveil a sweeping policy package intended to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The question is how bold she’s willing to be.
There’s no doubt that Germany, the world’s sixth-largest carbon polluter, needs to do better. At current rates, it will reach its emission goals for 2020 eight years late, and its goals for 2030 only in 2046. The government plans to get the economy off coal by 2038, but that isn’t fast enough. There’s not much consensus on how to improve this picture.