Methane is a major anthropogenic greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide (CO2) in its impact on climate change. Methane (CH4) has a high global warming potential that is 25 times as large as the one of CO2 on a 100 year time horizon according to the latest IPCC report. Thus, CH4...

Die bundesweite Einführung der Juniorprofessur mit gleichzeitiger Abschaffung der Habilitation scheiterte im Juli 2004 aus verfassungsrechtlichen Gründen. Aus ökonomischer Sicht hat die Juniorprofessur hingegen viele Vorteile: Erstmals könnten Wissenschaftler/-innen in dem Alter, in dem sie...

Russian energy production has increased substantially in recent years, with production of natural gas now actually exceeding the levels reached in the early 1990s. The growth in energy production has gone hand in hand with a rise in Russian energy exports. The European Union is an extremely...

The relations between Russia and the EU with respect to energy and climate policies have been characterized in recent months by two phenomena. On the one hand, the EU has to deal with questions regarding the security of energy supply. The Russian government's high-handed treatment of domestic...

In spite of the sharp decline of crude oil prices since the fall of 2008, the current price level of approximately $65 per barrel is significantly higher than the long-term average. The market power of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is partially responsible for...

Greenhouse gas emissions should be stabilized to today's level to prevent harmful climate damage.The countries that have signed the Kyoto Protocol committed themselves to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over the period 2008 to 2012, but only to a very limited extent. The USA decided not to...

The German electricity market is facing two major challenges: competition and climate protection. The liberalization of the electricity sector in Europe following the directive on the single internal market is increasing competition between suppliers of electricity, while the trading in...