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For many years, Germany has been an inspiring global leader on energy and climate policy - but the country must now make the right decisions to phase out coal or risk falling behind, former US Vice President Al Gore said during a visit to Germany鈥檚 capital, Berlin, from 26 to 28 June. On the first day of his visit, the commission tasked with planning the country鈥檚 coal exit held its inaugural session. 鈥淚t is not an accident by any means that we are here in Berlin on the first day the coal commission is meeting that will chart the future course of Germany,鈥� Gore told a crowd of more than 600 climate activists at a training organised by Climate Reality, an NGO the politician-turned-activist has founded. 鈥淲hat Germany does is crucial,鈥� he said, adding that Germany's climate leadership by now had become an "old narrative."

Gore praised Germany鈥檚 鈥渧ery long and very proud tradition of a forward-looking approach to the challenges of energy and the environment.鈥� However, he said the country has failed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions for four years, so 鈥渘ow comes a time where Germany is at risk of being left behind.鈥� Gore acknowledged that this impression might be at odds with many people鈥檚 perception of Germany, as the country鈥檚 policies had helped a great deal in getting renewable energy sources off the ground.

Germany鈥檚 energy transition from coal and nuclear power towards renewable sources - known as the Energiewende - has seen the share of wind and solar power and other renewable energy capacity in the country鈥檚 energy mix grow to about one third of its total power consumption thanks to financial support granted to investors. But emissions reduction in Europe鈥檚 industrial powerhouse has stagnated during the past decade, leading the government to officially wave goodbye to its 2020 climate target and focus instead on meeting its emissions reduction goals by 2030. The coal commission has a crucial role to play in this process.

鈥淭his will be the litmus test鈥�

After the group held its first working session at the federal ministry for economy and energy (BMWi), the commission鈥檚 leaders seemed to acknowledge the global dimension of their endeavour that would also be considered a test for Germany鈥檚 entire Energiewende project. 鈥淭his will be the litmus test for everything that is yet to come,鈥� said co-leader Matthias Platzeck (SPD), former state premier of Brandenburg, an important coal mining region in eastern Germany.

Platzeck said the commission would have to come up with credible economic perspectives for coal workers and mining regions. This would help the authorities garner societal support for the phase-out, and would also prove that the government is able to initiate changes in other important sectors, particularly in transport and agriculture. Platzeck鈥檚 colleague, former Saxony state premier Stanislaw Tillich, said the experiences Germany is about to gain with the coal commission could serve as an example for other coal regions across the world that embark on a phase-out of this major, traditional energy source.

The commission is tasked with charting a coal exit path by the end of 2018 and presenting short-term measures to reduce CO2emissions ahead of the next UN climate conference, COP24, to be hosted by Poland. The commission鈥檚 co-leader, climate economist Barbara Praetorius, said the group would work throughout the summer to uphold the timetable, and would identify the most productive and acceptable solutions from a multitude of proposals on the coal regions鈥� future. 鈥淚鈥檓 optimistic that we can stick to our schedule,鈥� she said.

Back at Climate Reality鈥檚 training event, some two miles away from the ministry building, Gore said that Germany鈥檚 decision to phase out nuclear power was partly responsible for its lagging record in emissions reduction. 鈥淏ut, of course, the political and economic power of the coal industry has also played a role.鈥� Gore called on the members of the coal commission to decide the path to phase out coal - a decision 鈥渢ruly of historic nature鈥�. Gore said he plans to meet with several members of the commission during his stay in Berlin.

A system based on renewable energies is 鈥渢he way of the future,鈥� Gore said. Already today, there are five times more jobs in the wind and solar power industry than in coal in Germany. 鈥淥ther progressive European governments are now moving faster than Germany in creating these new jobs,鈥� said Gore. 鈥淲e have to look for future opportunities that we need to seize and that Germany needs to seize.鈥�

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 do this right, Germany鈥檚 time of climate leadership is over鈥�

During the early phase of its Energiewende, Germany had harvested the low-hanging fruits by bringing renewables to the market, said Christoph Bals, policy director at the NGO Germanwatch, during a panel discussion held after Gore鈥檚 address. Today, the country is at risk of missing its climate targets, because changing the coal and transportation sectors 鈥� on which Germany鈥檚 entire culture, jobs, and industrial basis depends 鈥� is a far more difficult task.

鈥淚n the last century, the entire prosperity of Germany was built on coal and steel. Today, the transport sector is the country鈥檚 biggest job machine,鈥� said Bals.

This is why the coal commission must find the right answers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a crucial time for Germany. If we get this right, Germany can again play a strong leadership role in the climate debate. If not, its time is over.鈥�

Due to resistance from many sides, Germany鈥檚 politicians currently lack the courage to move forward. 鈥淭here is the big fear that the right-wing populists, the AfD [Alternative f眉r Deutschland], might win even more votes because of this transition,鈥� said Bals. 鈥淭hat is the main fear stopping politicians from moving forward at the moment.鈥� To ensure progress, one needs to show that the population鈥檚 reaction is positive, especially in affected regions.

Bals said that he hopes Germany will be able to present 鈥渁t least a rough plan鈥� on how to phase out coal at the COP24 in Katowice in December. 鈥淭ogether with an announcement by the EU to have more ambitious targets for 2030, this would send a strong signal at a time when the US government is leaving the game.鈥�

[For background, read the 威力彩玩法 article Commission watch 鈥� Managing Germany鈥檚 coal phase-out and the factsheet Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission.]