Structural Change in Coal Regions as a Process of Economic and Socioeconomic Transitions – Opportunities for a Socially Compatible Structural Change in the Light of Climate Policy Goals

Content

The economic and industrial structure of Lusatia, a region in southern Brandenburg and eastern Saxony, is characterized by the mining and energy sectors. Before German reunification, more than half of the employees of Lusatia worked in these sectors. With the collapse of former GDR, the employment in this region dropped sharply. Structural change in Lusatia is an ongoing process. Climate policy measures have speeded up the exit of coal-fired power plants thus triggering further structural changes. On behalf of the Umweltbundesamt (UBA), the ifo Dresden Branch – together with the Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH – works on a case study of the historical structural change in the Lusatia. It examines the causes and impacts of structural change processes and evaluates previously implemented measures, which aim to mitigate/foster the structural change of Lusatia.