Germany’s manufacturing sector, the backbone of its economy, has been struggling of late. It is having to contend with slow domestic demand, and exports, a key element in its success, are running into headwinds. Manufacturing is an energy-intensive sector, and Germany’s high energy costs are hurting its competitiveness. These costs have been driven higher by the withdrawal of “cheap” Russian gas, by Angela Merkel’s decision to resume the country’s reckless abandonment of nuclear power (which is now complete) and by another project eagerly backed by Merkel, massive investments in renewables. Climate policy makers boast about green jobs (and there are some, although many more in China), but the statistic that matters will be the net jobs number. Is the energy “transition” creating more jobs than it is destroying?
