For businesses in Germany, climate protection is a central concern—nationally, across Europe, and globally. Achieving climate neutrality requires a massive transformation of the economy. To ensure this transformation succeeds and remains affordable, measures aimed at improved climate protection need to be reviewed and designed more efficiently and effectively.

"Experiences of recent years show that the approach taken so far to the energy transition is insufficient to reach the goal and is economically barely viable," states DIHK President Peter Adrian. "Many businesses are reaching their limits in the face of high costs, lengthy processes, uncertainties in developing new infrastructures, and internationally uneven conditions."

"Many companies are very ambitious and voluntarily committed to climate protection with their own ambitious goals."

In March 2026, the DIHK General Assembly adopted an accordingly revised core position with proposals for a more efficient climate policy (PDF, 117 KB). It is based on the previously commissioned DIHK study "New Ways for the Energy Transition (Plan B)", addressing the impacts and costs of the energy transition, and develops a first positioning from November 2025 (PDF, 206 KB) further. Specifically, the DIHK advocates for stronger international coordination of climate goals and converting annual rigid targets into a more flexible CO₂ budget.

This dossier accompanies the topic with relevant insights and background information.