5. Climate Change Mitigation and Clean Energy Technology Policies

Governments have climate change mitigating (CCM) policies in place, including fiscal incentives, public finance, and regulations to promote the adoption renewable energy (RE) and promote the development of clean energy technologies (CETs). RE and CET policies are part of a energy and environment policy “mix” to maintain energy security, phase out non-RE supply to RE supplies increase energy efficiency and support, guide, direct, and promote new CET development. The perception of economic, energy, and environmental risks deeply affect clean energy policymaking. They are country-specific. The RE deployment and CCM policies among the seven countries in this study, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the UK, and the USA all promote CET R&D that also reflect different perceptions of economic, energy, and environmental risks. Risk perceptions vary due to energy security or lack thereof and inform CET policy choices. Consequently, global CET policy measures to effectively mitigate environment risk are yet to be realized. Despite years of experience, policy uncertainty persists, as governments contend with competing demands on limited budgets as they attempt to consolidate fiscal responsibilities and satisfy the demands of competing interests.