Distributional Challenges of Sustainability Policies—The Case of the German Energy Transition

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 7; no. 12; pp. 16599 - 16615
• Main Authors: Gawel, Erik, Korte, Klaas, Tews, Kerstin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 16.12.2015
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; climate; Climate policy; Consumer Price Index; Consumers; electricity; energy; Energy consumption; energy costs; Energy policy; Energy prices; Energy resources; Environmental policy; Germany; governance; Income distribution; Low income groups; prices; public policy; renewable energy sources; Renewable resources; Social justice; Social policy; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Germany

Sustainability policies based on the economic rationale of providing incentives to get prices right inevitably place a significant burden on society and often raise distributional concerns. The social acceptability of Germany’s energy transition towards more sustainable generation and usage of energ...