Thanks to lockdowns and the economic crisis, Germany still achieved its climate goals in 2020.
The lower mobility was particularly good for the CO2 balance, and emissions from industry fell due to the severe economic downturn.
What has to happen to prevent this effect from fizzling out again?
In the voice-catching session, two researchers talk about the lessons we can learn from the pandemic for climate policy.
Why are climate lockdowns not a solution?
Is climate protection now of secondary importance because we are catching up on everything that was not possible in the pandemic?
And where do politics and business urgently need to make adjustments?
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Manuel Rivera
Photo: Lotte Ostermann / IASS
Given the experiences in the pandemic, people could more easily imagine deep state intervention, says Manuel Rivera from the Institute For Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam.
In the podcast he reports on the first results of an ongoing study that is looking for transformation impulses from the crisis.
"Of course, there is always a responsibility on the part of individual consumers," says Rivera.
"But there is a very strong need to set the course, and that has already started - see CO2 price."
Robert Follmer, Head of Mobility and Regional Research at the infas Institute for Applied Social Science, is also involved in the study.
He fears that the corona-related decrease in emissions "could be too strong a pillow for those responsible".
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Robert Follmer
Photo: Michael Handelmann
For more climate-friendly mobility, Follmer is calling for massive investments in local public transport, among other things.
Much has been missed there in the past few decades.
At the same time, he is convinced that there is a willingness to transform in society, but it has not yet been "turned around".
Politicians should not just stick to good intentions like on New Year's Eve, but must define the concrete implementation of the climate targets.
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