Like a number of Western European countries, Germany fell for the climate hoax and then added to its energy problems by deciding to phase out nuclear energy as well after Fukushima. In order to fulfill its green ideology, Germany has heavily subsidized solar and wind in recent years. The result is that German electricity costs have skyrocketed and electricity has become much less reliable.
But if the Government had stuck the bill to big business, such businesses would have simply moved out to other countries with lower electric rates, taking jobs and tax revenue with them. So like most governments they decided on a scheme of hitting up those least able to resist–households and small businesses. So the first government intervention in the electricity market–subsidies for wind and solar–led to the second–price discrimination against those least likely to be able to fight back.
Household electricity prices are now roughly three times higher than in the US and rising rapidly. This probably has not been noticed by the wealthy, but it has been by the less wealthy–who must give up something else they need like heat or clothing to make ends meet. And some large fossil fuel energy companies are currently headed for bankruptcy, so the next problem will be whether to let them go bankrupt or subsidize them too.
The Pointlessness of Reducing Human-Caused CO2 Emissions
Since rising temperatures result in higher atmospheric CO2 levels for well understood reasons, but higher CO2 levels have little influence and no catastrophic effects on temperatures, there is no objective reason to worry about human CO2 emissions, but that has not stopped the Germans from pursuing their wind and solar boondoggles. These, in turn, have led to the problems just discussed.
The results of the Obama Administration’s regulations requiring increased use of wind and solar will be no better than those in Germany and quite possibly worse. The US now leads the world in reductions of CO2 emissions by so far largely letting the markets make the decisions on energy pricing and energy sources. Government interventions which have now been mandated by the USEPA will result in still further later interventions to fix the problems caused by the previous interventions and in adverse effects mainly on the poor.
The best thing for the Federal Government to do is stay out of the electricity pricing market in the first place and let open competitive markets establish prices and energy sources. The argument that governments must intervene in markets to save the planet from global warming is based on politics, not science.