Economy The €5.5 Trillion Mistake? Is Germany’s Energy Policy an Economic Suicide Note?

[Maciamo]

I just came across this deep dive by EconomyUnpacked into Germany’s energy crisis, and honestly, the numbers are staggering. Whether you’re interested in geopolitics, economics, or climate policy, this is a must-watch that challenges the narrative of the Energiewende (Energy Transition).

The video argues that Germany has walked into a "Renewables Trap" by simultaneously abandoning nuclear power and relying on Russian gas—a bet that failed spectacularly. Now, the world's 4th largest economy is facing an industrial decline and eye-watering costs.

Why we should debate this:

• The Cost Gap: Germany has spent roughly €700 billion on its energy transition so far, yet its electricity is 6 times more expensive and 6.6 times dirtier than France’s nuclear-heavy grid.
• The "De-industrialization" Warning: Industrial giants like BASF and Volkswagen are scaling back or moving production to China and the US. The video notes that 37% of German industrial companies are now considering relocation.
• The Nuclear Paradox: Germany shut down its last zero-carbon nuclear plants in 2023, only to reactivate coal plants and import nuclear power from France to meet demand.
• The Trillion-Dollar Bill: Estimates suggest the total cost to reach climate neutrality by 2045 could hit €5.5 Trillion.

Key Questions for the Thread:

1. Is Germany’s current path a "visionary blueprint" for the world, or an "economic suicide note" as some critics claim?
2. Can a major industrial power actually survive on weather-dependent renewables without a nuclear or gas "baseload"?
3. Was the nuclear phase-out an ideological mistake, or a necessary step for safety?
4. How much of this was caused by "political capture" (the Schroeder-Putin connection)?

I’m curious to get everyone's take—especially those who follow European energy policy or manufacturing. Is this a temporary "growing pain" for green energy, or are we witnessing the permanent decline of German industry.

 

[Riverman]

Its just pure madness. You can only question whether its purpose is evil, incompetence or complete ideological delusion. Likely it is all three combined at different ratios in different proponents of this policy.
They ruin Germany, they hurt the citizens and tax payers, on the long run even those on social welfare, because nothing will work forever this way, and yet the ecological outcome is mixed at best and horrible at worst. Pure insanity. And the majority of the Germans don't want it, they never did, but the politicians and administration does it anyway...

 

[italouruguayan]

It is so sad to see how a country that rebuilt itself from the disasters of war is ruined by political mistakes.

What were they thinking? That depending on gas supplied by a dictatorial regime with threatening military power was a good idea?

 

[Riverman]

It is so sad to see how a country that rebuilt itself from the disasters of war is ruined by political mistakes.

What were they thinking? That depending on gas supplied by a dictatorial regime with threatening military power was a good idea?

Russia never abused its power over the Western countries in this respect, because they never wanted to threaten the stable income. Now this idiotic Anti-Russian policy forced the Russians to re-orientate themselves economically, which hurt them a bit, but it ruined the Western economies.
That's like threatening somebody to shoot yourself in the foot...

On top of that, if you want to get rid of Russian gas, you need to plan it carefully, on the long run, and you shouldn't get rid of nuclear energy and implement "climate taxes" which further increase the costs all at the same time. Here this "energy strategy" is going from just "a bit stupid" to "completely insane".

And take Friedrich Merz as an example: Before the election and sometimes even after it he talked about "the abandonment of nuclear energy being a mistake", yet he did blow up some of the last plants to finish it!

At the same time, some German politicians talk about the necessity of "European nuclear weapons". Yet they say it should be "German money to pay for British and French nukes". So Germans paying (with what money?) for UK and France getting more nuclear weapons, not Germany.

What's behind such "strategies"? It is about making Germany small and keeping it even smaller. At the same time being aggressive and disrespectful against Russia, as if Germany has anything it could throw at Russia. All of this is no coherent policy and it is at no layer for the interests of the German country and people.

But well, we have similar politicians in Britain and France, which probably are not that ruined by the energy policies, but by other factors. And the gas/energy crisis affects them too.

Simple put: The Western European - EU policy of the last 10 years in particular is a complete failure on every level. Migration, energy, climate, gender, military, education, employment, health, social security, nutrition - tell me what worked out in the last 10 years in particular? Nothing did.