A Climate Transformation Outlook for Germany
Background and objectives of the new study series
Germany has set itself the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045. Even though this appears technically and economically feasible, implementation is lagging behind the requirements. The highly complex transformation process is challenging existing interests, habits and business models. As a consequence, the social hurdles to implementing ambitious climate protection appear high. On the other hand, however, ambitious climate policy is also driven and dynamized by societal engagement and civil society activism.
Against this background, the Mercator Endowed Chair of Sociology is developing methods to assess whether a transformation to net zero emissions in Germany appears plausible from a social science point of view. In an annual assessment, we examine selected social drivers and their respective dynamics, contextual conditions and effects, and assess their collective contribution to the transformation in Germany.
The first Climate Transformation Outlook (Klimawende Ausblick) was published in May 2024. It lays the foundation for subsequent studies by adapting the analytical framework for the plausibility of transformation processes developed in the Excellence Cluster CLICCS to the context of the German low-carbon transformation. In addition, four of a total of twelve social drivers are examined in a first partial analysis: German climate policy in the European context, global climate governance, climate movements and protests, and climate litigation.