Global Governance on Renewable Energy

Abstract

This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of the links be- tween global renewable energy governance and national energy politics. It compares the positions of two leaders in the field—Germany and Brazil. Germany has em- barked on an Energiewende, a deep structural transformation of the country’s energy system away from nuclear energy and fossil fuels and towards greater energy effi- ciency and renewable energy. Renewable energy accounts for an increasingly large share of its electricity consumption. Brazil is a leading producer and consumer of ethanol and has one of the worldwide highest shares of renewables in its energy mix. Brazil has also played a critical role in sustainability and renewable intiatives at the global level, hosting the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Develop- ment. There