German-American Energy Conference

CONNECTED_1_2011

Dear Readers,

The consequences of Japan’s devastating earthquake of 11 March are enormous. The radiation that con-tinues to leak from at least three reactors in Fuku-shima raises doubts around the world about the role that nuclear energy can—and should—play in the future. Germany and the United States have reacted quite differently. Whereas the Merkel government has called for a phase out of all of Germany’s nuclear power plants by 2022, the United States intends to continue supporting new reactors, according to En-ergy Secretary Steven Chu. Are these different re-sponses to the catastrophe in Japan a sign of a deeper transatlantic divide on future energy policy?

This second issue of CONNECTED shows that such a divide is not necessarily imminent. According to German Parliamentary State Secretary Katherina Reiche, both countries share similar concerns. “Germany and the United States are facing the same energy policy challenges. Both countries have to modernize their energy systems and make them more efficient,” Reiche stated on the occasion of the 3rd German-American Energy Conference in May in Berlin. In this issue’s “Face to Face” conversation, Philip D. Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to Germany, and Klaus Scharioth, Germany’s ambassador to the United States, agree. They point out that transatlantic climate diplomacy fosters mutual learning and can support innovation in important areas such as electric vehicles and mobility.

[I am co-editor of CONNECTED, together with Dennis Taenzler. Please find the full first issue of CONNECTED here]