Industry says it will need public funds to abide by German's planned climate law
Handelsblatt
[Update adds details on launch of environment ministry鈥檚 investment support programme.]
Germany鈥檚 industrial sector fears the investment in energy efficiency it will have to make under the planned Climate Action Law, Silke Kersting and Klaus Stratmann . Energy-intensive companies, such as steel and glass manufacturers, are calling for financial support to decarbonise their production processes. Rita Schwarzel眉hr-Sutter, state secretary in the environment ministry (BMU), has already acknowledged that companies will probably not be able to fund the necessary modernisation alone and require 鈥渃onsiderable public funds鈥�. The German government will therefore make available 45 million euros for investments to decarbonise industry starting immediately, . The funds are meant to kick-start innovations. 鈥淭his makes climate action a driver of innovation for the economy, and it makes the industrial location Germany future-proof,鈥� said state secretary Jochen Flasbarth. Companies say the funds supplied through the programme will not nearly be enough, writes Handelsblatt.
Germany's environment ministry is calling for an ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goal of 鈥渁t least 95 percent鈥� by the year 2050 compared to 1990, in a draft of the highly anticipated Climate Action Law. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) has said the planned law must not only prescribe CO鈧� emissions reduction, but secure social acceptance, technical feasibility and Germany鈥檚 competitiveness. The environment ministry also announced it is working on a general long-term support directive for the decarbonisation of industry, and will open a centre on climate action in energy-intensive industries in Cottbus in 2019.
