Focus on Germany London Office The Chandlery Office 609 50 Westminster Bridge Road GB London SE1 7QY Tel 00 44 20 77 21 87 45 Fax 00 44 20 77 21 87 46 www.feslondon.org.uk March 2007 For an Integrated Climate and Energy Policy Resolution of the Executive Board of the SPD Berlin, 26th February 2007 Under the Red-Green government, Germany pursued a long-term policy of innovation and investment in green technologies, energy saving and the reduction of green house gas emissions. As outlined in the following reso­lution of its executive board, the SPD now looks ahead to define the priori­ties for energy supply and climate policy for the years to come. We are at present experiencing a new phase of great growth and industrialisation in the global economy, but it is not yet clear whether the 21st century will bring the prosperity and development that are hoped for or whether this growth surge will push the planet up to or even beyond the limits of its maximum ecological capacity and pre­cipitate global battles for a share of dimin­ishing resources. For reasons of interna­tional cooperation and for the sake of world peace, we must find a way to secure re­sources in such a way as not to diminish the supply to other communities for whom they are equally indispensable. This applies to energy, raw materials, water and soil fer­tility. A sufficient and affordable supply of energy will continue to be a decisive factor in future worldwide economic growth. Demand for energy worldwide will continue to grow. The International Energy Agency predicts that unless we do something to halt this trend, growing worldwide demand for energy will lead to a doubling of environmentally dam­aging greenhouse gas emissions to a level of almost 60 gigatons per year by the year 2050. Of course, a commitment to climate protection will cost money, about 1% of global GDP, but what is also certain is that not doing anything to curb climate change will cost even more. If we do not implement counter measures, climate change will be­gin to be a threat to our economic devel­opment. Sir Nicholas Stern, former chief economist to the World Bank, predicts that the global economy will suffer losses of be­tween 5% and 20% of GDP if climate change is allowed to progress unchecked. Social and ecological damage generated by climate change will negate the economic and social achievements of recent decades, will precipitate vast waves of refugees and lead to the outbreak of disease, wars and civil war in the fight for water. Climate pro­tection is therefore not simply an ecological