She is one of the most renowned German researchers on energy and sustainability issues: We are talking about Prof Dr Claudia Kemfert, who completed important stages of her career at the University of Oldenburg. A portrait.
By Mark Brüggemann
What does the world cost? 25 cents a day, if Prof Dr Claudia Kemfert has her way. According to her, that's how much - or little - every German citizen would have to donate to climate protection projects in order to live a climate-neutral life. Kemfert's calculation: just under eleven tonnes of carbon dioxide are produced per person in Germany every year, while the price of CO2 is currently around seven euros per tonne. "Four years ago, I still came up with 70 cents per citizen per day. The fact that it is now only 25 cents is due to the economic crisis," explains Kemfert.
It is concrete calculations like these, which are easy to understand even for laypeople, that make Claudia Kemfert a sought-after interview partner, for example on political talk shows. In contrast to some studio guests with rather dubious expertise, Kemfert is a proven expert on energy and sustainability issues: she has headed the Energy, Transport and Environment Department at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin since 2004 and has also been Professor of Energy Economics and Sustainability at the Hertie School of Governance since 2009.
"The study conditions in Oldenburg were ideal"
The University of Oldenburg played an important role in Claudia Kemfert's career. "After completing my intermediate diploma in economics at Bielefeld University, I specifically moved to Oldenburg," says Kemfert, looking back. "I specialised in energy economics early on, and the study conditions in Oldenburg were ideal for this." She also completed her doctorate at the University of Oldenburg in 1998, for which she spent almost a year researching at Stanford University in California, supervised by Prof Dr Wolfgang Pfaffenberger. "In my dissertation, I analysed the economic effects of the eco-tax and emissions trading," says Kemfert.
After research stays in Milan and Stuttgart, Kemfert returned to the University of Oldenburg in 2000. As a junior professor, she headed the "SPEED" (Scientific Pool of Environmental Economic Disciplines) research group for four years. "This group of young researchers developed models that they then used to simulate various effects," says Kemfert. "For example, we used game theory models to analyse the European electricity market as part of an EU project." In 2004, the researcher was appointed to the DIW, along with a professorship in environmental economics at Humboldt University in Berlin. According to the Federal Minister of Education at the time, Edelgard Bulmahn, this made her the first junior professor in Germany to be appointed to a regular professorship.
"Debates about doing without don't lead anywhere"
"The other climate future - innovation instead of depression" and "Using the crisis now" - some people may find the titles of two books that Kemfert has written for a non-scientific audience too optimistic and growth-orientated. "Debates about doing without and immediately turning away from economic growth won't get us anywhere," the author counters. "We can and must solve the global problem of climate change with economic growth." Kemfert names "increasing environmental protection, increasing health, increasing access to clean drinking water and clean energy" as the cornerstones for such growth. Just buzzwords? Certainly not, even if the renowned Club of Rome appreciates Claudia Kemfert's expertise. The German society of this think tank on globalisation accepted Kemfert as a new member in December 2011.
The researcher's announcement that she would become energy minister in the "shadow cabinet" of the North Rhine-Westphalian CDU came as a surprise. Previously, when asked about possible political ambitions, the 43-year-old had always emphasised that she was "a scientist with heart and soul" and wanted to remain one. According to current election forecasts, however, the probability that Kemfert will have to commute from Oldenburg to Düsseldorf from mid-May is rather low. From Oldenburg? Not so unlikely - because although Kemfert has been working in Berlin since 2004, she prefers to spend her weekends in the Hunt city. "Oldenburg is ideal for relaxing - the perfect complement to the often hectic life in the capital," she says. "It's like a holiday for me every time."
