A decisive contribution to climate protection is provided by innovative technologies which enable savings in and the more efficient use of natural resources. A key role in this is played by the more efficient use of energy sources. What is needed are technologies which minimize not only losses in the conversion of energy (power stations with enhanced effectiveness) but also the emissions caused in the process. Power station technology on the basis of fossil energy sources offers enormous potential in this respect. The development of energy technologies which exploit renewable energy sources – which do not produce any greenhouse gases whatsoever – is also a central element in climate protection. However, as fossil energy sources will remain the dominant source of energy in many countries in the coming decades, geological carbon storage is among the options to protect the climate in order to gain time in avoiding emissions. Consumer decisions will also play an important role in climate protec-tion, with consumption patterns needing to change and products used differently than to date. Key approaches here are in electricity consumption, the generation of heat and in the transport sector.
Ambitious climate protection - a modernization program for the economy
In addition climate protection is also on environment policy’s to-do list. The introduction of emissions trading in Europe is an important step to successfully counter climate change. However, in future, global targets for the reduction of emissions need to be tightened up considerably. Moreover, as many countries and sectors as possible as well as all greenhouse gases need to be included in emissions trading. Going forward, emission trading can only spawn innovations if emission rights are not given away but auctioned.
Beyond environment policy, the government must also help to launch the ecological modernization of the economy with a diverse bundle of economic policy measures. In the course of this ecologically-driven structural transformation key markets are emerging with high growth momentum, above all the markets for energy technologies, sustainable mobility and transport technologies, efficiency, recycling as well as sewage technologies and water supply.
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