Publikationen der Abteilung Klimapolitik

Crude Oil: Market Trends and Simulations Point toward Stable Equilibrium

In this study, we report on the current state of the international market for crude oil. The market data we analyzed indicate that competition has intensified as a result of the now firmly-established shale oil extraction industry in the U.S. Model-based simulations also show that supply-side shifts should only have moderate price effects. This applies to both an expansion in U.S. shale oil production ...

Children from Migrant Backgrounds: Who Are Their Kita Peers?

In Germany, attendance in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centers has soared in the last twenty years, making them a key context in which children learn. For children from migrant backgrounds who speak a foreign language at home, participation in ECEC has the potential of providing them with early German language exposure. One important but often overlooked factor in this respect is the composition ...

Using Public Procurement as a Decarbonisation Policy: A Look at Germany

Public authorities spend large proportions of their GDP on goods and services and are therefore responsible for a significant share of embedded emissions. Given this large impact, governments have the responsibility of decarbonizing their purchases, as well as the potential to influence markets towards sustainability. So-called ‘Green Public Procurement’ (GPP) consists in the use of environmental criteria ...

Incentives for the Long-Term Integration of Renewable Energies: A Plea for a Market Value Model

Due to increasing shares of renewable energies in electricity production, the cost-effective system integration of these installations is becoming more and more important. Technologies and locations are viewed as system-friendly when they are more cost-efficient and easier to integrate because they, unlike other installations, produce at times when electricity is more valuable. This report shows that ...

Renewable Energy Policy: Risk Hedging Is Taking Center Stage

The costs of renewable energy technologies have fallen sharply. Now the financing costs of new installations are playing an increasing role in the overall cost of Germany’s energy transition. This has put the primary focus of support instruments for renewable energy on creating more affordable financing conditions for investments. This report compares the effects of various policy instruments on risk ...

2016 Heat Monitor: "Second Rent" Lower Despite Higher Heating Energy Consumption

Residential heating is responsible for one-fifth of Germany’s energy consumption. Heating costs were around 562 euros per year for an average apartment in 2016, which is more than a 13th month’s rent minus heating costs (Kaltmiete). These are the findings of the 2016 Heat Monitor, published by the German Institute for Economic Research and ista Deutschland GmbH. The report presents evaluations based ...

Leakage Protection for Carbon-Intensive Materials Post-2020

Climate protection is a global challenge that all countries have a common but differentiated responsibility to address. However, not all governments are willing to commit to targets of equal stringency, and individual countries may put different emphases on carbon pricing in their policy mix. Carbon prices may thus continue to differ over longer time horizons. Therefore, measures to protect production ...

Combining Dynamic Allocation and Inclusion of Consumption into the EU ETS Would Be Beneficial: Six Questions to Karsten Neuhoff

Modernization and Innovation in the Materials Sector: Lessons from Steel and Cement

Since 2007, the European cement and steel sectors have been characterized by substantial surplus production capacity. Hence re-investment in primary production of many materials remains limited and endangers the longer-term economic viability of many plants. Opportunities for innovation and modernization could overcome these challenges. They are linked to new demands for more efficient and lower-carbon ...

With the Production Value-Based Benchmark Approach, Remuneration Depends on System-Friendliness: Eight Questions to Nils May