Climate and Energy Politics in Canada and Germany: Dealing with Fossil Fuel Legacies1

Abstract

Canada and Germany are both pursuing major energy transitions and far-reaching climate programs and targets, but they differ in terms of policies towards some energy sources and their preferred policy instruments. Both countries have committed to large scale emission reductions despite the challenge of regional divestment from fossil fuels: hard coal in North Rhine Westphalia and the Saarland; lignite in the Rhineland, in the Lusatsia (Lausitz) region, and in central Germany; coal in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia; and oil and natural gas in Western Canada. This article compares the current Pan-Canadian Framework (PCF) on Clean Growth and Climate Change with the German Climate Law and the European Green Deal. Relying on these measures, Canada and Germany set out policies and targets to become climate neutral by 2050. The article identifies critical challenges in the transition away from fossil fuels in both countries and provides insights on the possibility and likelihood of linking policies and regulatory measures across the Atlantic.