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Challenge

California and Germany are renowned frontrunners in environmental and climate policy. They are recognized as climate leaders, whose actions have influence beyond their borders, affecting other jurisdictions as well as their federal systems, the European Union and the United States. A sustained conversation between Germany and California can help develop and share their lessons. A key question is how to propagate their actions to other jurisdictions and ultimately scale up action to their federal systems. Another important question is how to achieve increasingly ambitious climate goals in the future. This effort will present significant technological challenges, but also significant institutional, legal, and political challenges.

A sustained conversation between Germany and California can help develop and share their lessons. A key question is how to propagate their actions to other jurisdictions and ultimately scale up action to their federal systems. Another important question is how to achieve increasingly ambitious climate goalsin the future. This effort will present significant technological challenges, but also significant institutional, legal, and political challenges.

Objectives

AHEAD promotes mutual exchange, learning and joint thinking among scientists and stakeholders in California and Germany with the overall aim to (1) develop a better scientific understanding of successful climate policy and (2) synthesize lessons learned to inform policy making and the broader public debate.

More specifically, AHEAD aims to

  • systematically assess climate policies in California and Germany, also in view of contributing to global assessments like the IPCC by developing, for example, metrics for measuring the level of climate policy effort or progress in transforming the energy system
  • develop scientifically sound insights on past and current policies, as well as options for successfully tackling the transformational pathways ahead
  • compile a policy-driven synthesis of these new insights that can be useful for policymakers and scholarship
  • expand scientific and stakeholder networks to foster exchange & collaboration between California and Germany and strengthen their role as climate leaders

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