The German federal minister for economics, Dr Werner Müller, has published a report, 'Sustainable energy policy for a future capable energy supply', in which he criticises the energy politics of the red-green government. He suggests that if CO2 emissions in Germany are reduced by 40 per cent by 2020, as the Greens want, the cost to each household would be 3000 DM and on top of that petrol would increase in price by 7 DM per litre. The total cost to the nation would probably amount to about 500 000 million DM. Müller argues that not all goals deemed necessary - CO2 reduction, phaseout of nuclear electricity production, cheap electricity, supply efficiency and environmental protection - can be realised at the same time. In fact these aims interact with each other: nuclear energy if phased out must be replaced by other energy supplies; use of coal increases CO2 production; greater use of gas increases the dependence on energy imports. Greater renewable energy production would result in closing down of coal mines and lignite pits with the loss of 100 000 jobs in Northrhine-Westphalia alone, a traditionally social democrat area. Greens and social democrats as well as environmental groups have heavily criticised the report. The Federal minister for the environment, nature protection and reactor safety, Jürgen Trittin declared that the target of 40 per cent CO2 reduction was not only possible but would also create new jobs. Opposition parties see in the report evidence that the present government has no properly thought out long term energy plan
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