Greening trend:

“Politicians react with delaying tactics”

(Bild: krone.tv)

The debate about the climate crisis and climate protection is polarizing, and yet the greening megatrend can no longer be stopped, says Florian Maringer, CEO of the Kontext Institute. A new era is dawning for the economy, but politicians need to react quickly - at the moment, they are losing themselves in delaying tactics. However, this development cannot be stopped. 

"In economic development, different new technologies are coming in waves. The steam engine displaced the carriage, automation, digitalization and now ecologization are waves, so to speak, that are displacing old technologies. This train is moving and cannot be stopped." However, Maringer criticizes the fact that politicians communicate in a very unclear and somewhat heterogeneous manner and very often act on the basis of individual interests. 

We pick a plaster and don't look at it
However, security must now be created for companies and households. According to Maringer, we can already see the direction it will take through modeling, including in terms of pricing. "But there is a lack of clarity." Instead of working on solutions, many politicians would use arguments that actually delay the measures. Or "bogus solutions are presented. Along the lines of: we'll stick a plaster on it and not look at it. Basically, it won't help in the long term. The combustion engine debate or e-fuels are a good example of this."

Certain technologies will die out
The combustion engine no longer has a future in purely technological terms. "But it is uncomfortable to make this statement clearly and to state these truths," says Maringer. For example, the cost of fuel would be so high by 2050 that we would need billions of euros to make it affordable. Certain technologies, such as fossil heating systems or combustion engines, will therefore die out in the long term. However, development is slowing down due to delaying tactics, people are unsettled, companies do not know how they should invest and are looking for a clear framework, which is not being provided.

A future government must do one thing above all: create clarity. "What if we made better use of this trend? You can see very clearly that if you push the issue, the benefits are much greater and we create many more jobs." For example, it is already clear today that a mechanic will need completely different skills in the future than they do today. But in order to show prospects, we need determination and planning. "Politicians must take decisive action to show the direction we are heading in."

You can find more information in the interview above!