As part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, Germany has decided to phase-out coal. The thesis should discuss the so-called  "Kohleausstieg" from a political economy perspective (i.e. the issues at stake for key players) and also critically assess the environmental implications at the EU-wide level. Could the German coal phase-out be considered as a blue-print for other European countries?

The German coal phase-out should be critically reviewed regarding the costs and benefits to various stakeholders (political economy perspective). Given that the control of CO2 emissions from coal is largely taking place under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, there is the question on the environmental effectiveness of the German coal phase-out. The thesis should also address the issue of a potential coal phase-out by other EU countries.

environmental economics, energy economics, microeconomics