Global Environment LLM candidate has essay on new German Coal Laws published in Brill Climate Law journal
Sun 1 August 2021
We are proud to share the news that a current candidate of the LLM in Global Environment and Climate Change Law at Edinburgh Law School, Louisa Raitbaur, has recently had her essay 'The New German Coal Laws: A Difficult Balancing Act' published in the Brill Climate Law journal.
The article is featured in Volume 11 of the journal, published on 22 July 2021, which can be accessed via the Brill publishing website.
The focus of the peer-reviewed journal Climate Law is on the many legal issues that arise internationally and at the state level as climate law continues to evolve and climate change continues to worsen.
Abstract
The German government adopted a coal exit law in 2020. The law enshrines a coal exit pathway through to 2038 and provides for significant compensation for coal companies. An accompanying structural-support law is to create new prospects for coal regions and workers. The development of the laws involved participation by the public, experts, interest groups, and the German states. Concerns about just transition and climate justice played an important role. The final laws were nevertheless met with a significant degree of dissatisfaction from stakeholders across the political spectrum, science, industry, and ngo s. Flaws in the participation process and deviation from expert recommendations have been raised as criticisms. The climate ambition, economic rationale, and social-justice effects of the laws have been contested. Repeal of the laws in any substantive way nevertheless seems unlikely.