Germany’s energy shift shortfall

Global Business

Germany’s was one of the economies strongly dependent on nuclear power, but that changed after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The country pledged a rapid transition to renewable sources. But instead, fossil fuels have made up much of the shortfall.

CCTV America’s Guy Henderson reports.

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster Germany pledged to quickly phase out nuclear power and replace it with one of the most ambitious renewable energy programs in the developed world.

But there’s still a shortfall. So to keep the country’s export-driven economy moving it’s turned again to coal.

And even after last year’s Paris climate deal, politicians are struggling to change course.

“In Germany there has been an attempt to increase the price of CO2 by having a CO2 tax for all coal-fired power stations – but this has been heavily opposed by the coal lobby, so we don’t have a tax, we have a coal subsidy: and it’s not really working,” Claudia Kemfert, energy policy expert, german institute of economic research said.