Episode 44: Climate Policy and International Economic and Financial Cooperation

Climate policy has become a major issue in German domestic politics and was a key topic for the recent German federal election. All major political parties in Germany included climate policy in their election programs. The Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) chancellor candidate, also the current Minister of Finance, proposed creating a “climate club” with other, similarly ambitious countries. On this Episode of The Zeitgeist, AICGS’ Jeff Rathke and Peter Rashish discuss with Dr. Jakob von Weizsäcker, chief economist at the German Ministry of Finance, the prospects for German climate policy after the federal election. What transatlantic and broader international cooperation are necessary to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale while avoiding trade frictions linked to competing green tariffs such as a carbon border adjustment mechanism? How can like-minded countries join to construct an effective “climate club?” Beyond climate, can we glimpse the future of the EU’s economic policy from its NextGen EU initiative? And should the world be worried about a new round of inflationary pressures? Host Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS Guest Peter Rashish, Senior Fellow; Director, Geoeconomics Program, AICGS Jakob von Weizsäcker, Chief Economist Director General for Economic and Fiscal Policy and Global Economy, German Federal Ministry of Finance