{
  "id": 826899,
  "title": "Guest commentary: The climate transformation will not be successful solely with increasing subsidies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/gastkommentar-die-klimawende-gelingt-nicht-nur-mit-immer-mehr",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T02:03:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/gastkommentar-die-klimawende-gelingt-nicht-nur-mit-immer-mehr-subventionen/100245780.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "This summer in Europe is marked by record heat and devastating forest fires. In France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Romania and the Netherlands, more than half a million hectares of forest have been burned and lost for many years. At the same time, the war in the Middle East shows us how fossil raw materials are increasingly being used as a geopolitical weapon. Both of these things show how urgently Europe needs to overcome its dependence on fossil energies and raw materials. It is all the more remarkable that the climate transformation is currently losing momentum.\n\nThe problem is no longer primarily that technical solutions are lacking. Many climate-friendly technologies are available or ready for the market. The bigger challenge is to create sufficient demand for CO2-low products and materials. Europe therefore needs not only an energy transition that makes us more independent of oil and gas. It also needs a transformation of its raw materials and material base. Renewable raw materials and green hydrogen can reduce emissions, increase supply security and boost the resilience of European value chains.\n\nIt will now be crucial to bring these solutions to market faster and at competitive prices.",
  "summary": "To increase demand for green products, their prices must come down. Politics should also stimulate demand through tax incentives, says Clariant CEO Conrad Keijzer.",
  "key_points": [
    "Europe faces severe wildfires and heat records this summer.",
    "Middle East war underscores fossil fuels as geopolitical weapon.",
    "Europe needs demand for low-carbon products and green hydrogen."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Europe's climate transition stalls due to a lack of demand for low-carbon products, highlighting the need for a broader transformation beyond just energy to include raw materials and supply chains.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "NZZ Wirtschaft",
        "title": "The Swiss economy is growing more strongly than it has in a long time - despite the consequences of the Iran war.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/die-schweizer-wirtschaft-wachst-so-stark-wie-lange-nicht-mehr-trotz",
        "published": "2026-08-14T09:54:09.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}