Ever wonder why Germany has a robust renewables economy, while the U.S. keeps claiming it's not achievable? Here's a theory from Franz Unterskeller, German state minister for the environment, climate, and energy:

We don't have the situation like you have in the U.S., where you have this Koch brothers.

Also, "we believe in climate change," adds Frithjof Staiß, managing director of the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

The heavily industrialized German state of Baden-Württemberg is aiming to decarbonize its economy by 2050. According to Unterskeller, that's possible in Germany because, unlike the U.S., there's a "broad consensus in society" that it's important to control carbon. Without roadblocks like the Koch brothers and the rest of the denial machine, Germany can pull it off.