Positions: "Fossil fuel phase-out and just transition"

Between 60-120 representatives from science, business, politics, associations and public authorities took part in the 7th Forum Climate Economics, as well as in a series of preparatory virtual roundtables. They discussed how a phase-out of fossil fuels and a just transition can be achieved in Germany and the European Union. The discussions built on the previously published background paper "Phasing out fossil fuels - how to achieve a just transition". The paper summarises the findings of various BMBF research projects, which show that without a far-reaching phase-out of fossil fuels, the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement cannot be achieved.

The roundtables and the forum conveyed current research results and provided space for discussions on important topics such as: How do system transformations succeed in the area of tension between European climate targets and international commitments – especially in times of COVID-19? How can these transformations be implemented in a socially just way? And what potential new path dependencies lurk in the event of a coal phase-out? The conclusions and insights from the discussions are summarised in this paper.

This position paper is only available in German.