Spoonful of sugar for green transition

Humans, as a rule, are pain-averse, especially when gains are not quickly apparent. This is the conundrum of the green transition. Most people today, barring a small but powerful set, agree that climate change and environmental degradation are real problems that need serious responses. Yet, in the past year, citizens, who once demanded their government get serious on climate change, voted in favour of politicians who prioritised easing the cost of living and energy prices over ditching decarbonising the economy. In recent elections, Germans punished the country’s Green Party, which championed the green transition in the previous Olaf Scholz government, relegating them to fourth place. Warum?

Germany’s not alone. France punished Emmanuel Macron’s liberal Renaissance party, and green parties took a beating in the European elections. But the British voted in the climate-friendly Labour. People, clearly, are not against political environmentalism, but are against the economic pain it can cause. Some of the blowback is misplaced. Decarbonisation did not cause high energy prices. It was disruption of cheap gas supply after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Governments are recalibrating the green transition, focusing on bringing down energy costs, creating opportunities for industrial growth and job creation, easing the pace of transition through new deadlines and support.

The rich world now has a developing country problem – how to balance climate action with economic growth and development. It’s not enough to make clear the costs of inaction and trade-offs. What is needed are policies and action that ease pressure and pain points of the transition. A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down. Wanted: Mary Poppins to the rescue.