Baden-Württemberg Sustainability Days 2012: Students Visit ZEW

Qualification phase-students from Schwetzingen Business Secondary School (Wirtschaftsgymnasium Schwetzingen) visited the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim in the context of the Baden-Württemberg Sustainability Days. On Friday, April 20, researchers from the ZEW Research Department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management" informed the students and their economic geography teachers about the connections between economics and sustainable climate protection.

In short presentations, ZEW reseachers Dr. Claudia Hermeling, Dr. Oliver Schenker, and Simon Koesler illustrated the effects of the climate change by means of examples taken from everyday life. Furthermore, they introduced research instruments such as laboratory experiments involving human subjects, which are conducted to analyse the economic aspects of sustainable climate protection. The ZEW researchers and their guests also had a discussion about the international and the German climate policy. Drawing on the Kyoto protocol, the ZEW experts explained how difficult it is to establish a transnational agreement for climate protection. Via the computer simulation "The Climate Protection Dilemma" designed by ZEW, the students then had the opportunity to experience for themselves how complicated it is to find solutions that are acceptable for all parties involved. "Every country is affected by the climate change and welcomes climate protection measures. Yet, every country focuses on their own wealth and tries to pass on the costs of climate protection to other countries", summarises Dr. Claudia Hermeling in order to explain the problems related to climate protection.

Apart from ZEW, about 400 companies and organisations took part in the Baden-Württemberg Sustainability Days 2012. They launched different events touching on the topics of climate, energy, and sustainable economics.