Sustainability in danger: Germany's crises are dramatic prosperous

Sustainability in danger: Germany's crises are dramatic prosperous

A new study by the Institute for Macroeconomics and Economic Research (IMK) reveals the challenges that Germany faces with regard to prosperity and sustainability. According to the investigation by Prof. Dr. Fabian Lindner and Prof. Dr. Anita Tiefensee have had serious negative effects on the sustainable development of the country in recent years. Between 2020 and 2024 only a few sustainability goals were achieved, and state anti-crisis policy prevented worse consequences, but massive public investments are absolutely necessary to improve the Situation, reports boeckler.de .

The study analyzes 15 central indicators of economic, financial policy, social and ecological sustainability and shows that private consumption was 1.3 % lower per capita per capita than in 2019. The gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated for 2024 by only 0.3 % above the level of 2019, while a decrease of 1.6 % is expected per capita. These are worrying developments, also against the background of rising energy prices, higher interest rates and declining exports to China that inhibit the economic recovery.

economic conditions and their consequences

The employment rate was 81.1 % above the pre -crisis level in 2024 and was supported by short -time work. Nevertheless, there are alarming tendencies. The inflation rate was 2.5 %in 2024, which is above the target value of the European Central Bank. Furthermore, the current account recorded a surplus of 5.8 % of GDP, which is just below the permissible maximum value.

The structural state deficits of 1.4 % above the EU limit of 0.5 % require urgent reforms, such as the reform of the debt brake and the Federal Government's infrastructure fund. These could offer opportunities for stabilization. In the context of social justice, it can be stated that the proportion of the 2023 inferiority of poverty was 16.6 %, which is also above the defined target value.

ecological challenges and progress

A particularly decisive aspect of the study are the climate goals. Despite a decline in greenhouse gas emissions by 47.6 % compared to 1990, these reductions are partly due to crisis. Primary energy consumption has dropped by 17.8 % since 2019, while the proportion of renewable energies in the final energy consumption has increased from 17.3 % to 22.4 %. However, these progress is not yet sufficient to achieve the ambitious climate goals, which have been formulated as part of the German sustainability strategy, which is also geared towards the UN Sustainability goals by 2030, explains Sustainability. . In the past decades,

Germany has taken remarkable steps to improve environmental policy, from the founding of the Federal Environment Agency in 1974 until the introduction of a German strategy for sustainable development in 2001. These measures outline the principles of German environmental policy, which are based on the pension, cause, cooperation and burden of burden. They enable a continuous improvement of the environmental situation, but are still shaped by challenges.

The need for long -term investments and a holistic strategy to improve the social and ecological situation is becoming increasingly clear. In order to achieve the desired goals and to secure a sustainable future, substantial changes in economic and social policy are essential.