Ahead of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's climate summit, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate published the report "The New Climate Economy - Better Growth, Better Climate". The Commission is chaired by former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón. Members of the Commission include Lord Nicholas Stern, the author of the famous "Stern Review" on the economics of climate change, and other leading experts in the fields of economics and science as well as former presidents.
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented on the report:
"This report is sending the right message at the right time, just one week ahead of the UN Secretary-General's climate summit in New York. Climate policy is not an austerity measure but rather an important and productive step that will pave the way towards an economically successful and worthwhile future. Ambitious climate policy makes a significant contribution towards stimulating economic growth which has been faltering worldwide in recent years. Cli-mate action has become a driving force for growth. This is all thanks to a series of technological breakthroughs - not least in the field of renewable energies. Today, the whole world is seeing the benefits of this. We need a global transformation of energy systems, moving away from fossil energy sources, especially coal power, and towards renewable energy sources. This is the right move to make, not just ecologically but also economically."