The energy transition between economic profitability and legal feasibility
In the last issue of the Muenster university’s newspaper “wissen|leben” (December 2018), ZIN members Prof Sabine Schlacke (Institute for Environmental and Planning Law) and Prof Andreas Löschel (Chair of Microeconomics with a Focus on Energy and Resource Economics) discussed the energy transition, the end of hard coal mining and climate protection.
The two scholars reflected upon the end of hard coal mining in Germany and the importation of hard coal for energy production from their respective disciplinary perspectives. Subsequently, the ZIN members discussed the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition, its’ possible influence on energy security as well as the importance of renewable energies for achieving the global climate targets. Andreas Löschel emphasized that “in order to reach the climate targets, fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal can no longer play a role in generating electricity by 2050” [own translation]. Although both scholars voiced concern regarding the non-binding nature of the Paris accords, Prof Schlacke was full of “hope that we will not exceed the 2°C target” [own translation].
If you want to find out how the energy transition as well as the Paris climate target could be realized in view of both ZIN-members, read the entire interview here (german only).
