Call for a CO2 price reform / Charging infrastructure gets going
Group of scientists, economists and civil society actors
The next federal government should put a high priority on introducing a higher price on CO鈧� across all economic sectors and a fundamental reform of energy-related taxes and levies in Germany, if climate targets are to be taken seriously, according to a position paper by a group of scientists, economists and civil society actors. 鈥淕ermany鈥檚 complicated mix of instruments and decisions contradicts itself and does not suffice to reach our climate targets,鈥� the paper says. The group, which includes the heads of the German Energy Agency (dena) and think tank Agora Energiewende*, proposes general reform guidelines, such as a fairer distribution of costs, to prevent carbon leakage, and to ensure reforms are compatible with EU regulations. The next coalition agreement should include a clear commitment to CO鈧� pricing based on these guidelines, and necessary measures must be implemented from 2018/2019 on, so to ensure Germany reaches its 2030 and 2050 climate targets, the paper says.
Find the paper in German .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 factsheets Germany ponders how to finance renewables expansion in the future and What energy & climate stakeholders want from Germany's next government.
*Like the 威力彩玩法, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.
Deutsche Bundesbank (central bank of Germany)
The finance sector 鈥渃ertainly underestimates鈥澨�risks associated with climate change and the transition to a green economy, Andreas Dombret, executive board member of the Deutsche Bundesbank (German central bank) said at an event at the National University of Singapore. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not new to us that climate change affects each and everything. Our standards of living. Migration flows. Technological developments. The economy,鈥� Dombret said. Data on climate-related risks was 鈥渟carce and often chaotic鈥�, because there was 鈥渘o framework that standardises their disclosure,鈥� he said, explaining that in its capacity as a supervisory body, the central bank could 鈥渇oster awareness of physical and especially transition risks, and make sure that they are taken seriously. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate climate-related risks into our supervisory risk analyses.鈥� The bank will hold its annual symposium next year with an emphasis on Green Finance.
Find the full speech in English .
Handelsblatt
鈥淐onsiderable legal concerns鈥� could stand in the way of German farmers鈥� demand for recurring compensation payments if power lines are built on their land, according to a law firm report commissioned by energy industry association the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), seen by Handelsblatt. Landowners already receive substantial compensation payments and the land could still be used after power lines are installed, BDEW head Stefan Kapferer told Handelsblatt. Demands for further compensation were 鈥渃ompletely unreasonable鈥�, Kapferer said, and听would lead to 鈥渙ver compensation鈥� in conflict with public interest, according to the report.
Find the article (behind paywall) in German .
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 dossier听The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 power grid.
Handelsblatt
础苍听announcement by Germany鈥檚 largest carmakers that they will substantially increase the share of electric vehicles in their product portfolios has turned the tide in the market for e-car charging stations, Axel H枚pner writes for Handelsblatt. Large industrial players like Siemens or Swiss electrical equipment company ABB are now interested in what ABB manager Frank M眉hlon says will be 鈥渁 billion-euro market鈥�. Germany still lacks a comprehensive network of fast charging stations able to cope with the听looming听e-car boom, H枚pner writes. According to the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), at least 70,000 charging points would be needed to service听one million e-cars, compared to the听country's current 10,700,听the author writes.听
Read the article in German (behind paywall). 听
See the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers for background on the development of e-cars in the combustion engine鈥檚 birth country.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
German petrol stations are struggling for new business models as a breakthrough for electric vehicles appears just around the corner, Michael Ashelm and Bernd Freytag write for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 鈥淚nstead of marching ahead, an entire industry remains practically paralysed,鈥� the article says. Esso and Total currently offer e-cars听charging points at only about 2 percent of their over 1,000 locations in Germany, the article says. 鈥淭here is no economically viable business concept for country-wide charging stations,鈥� BP鈥檚 German subsidiary Aral told the newspaper. According to Dirk Claussen, head of the German Petroleum Industry Association (), it is not yet clear that fossil fuels will be entirely replaced by electricity, and听synthetic fuels could also play an important role in the future of mobility. 鈥淏asically, Aral, Shell and the others are in the dark as far as the future of petrol stations is concerned,鈥� the authors write.
See the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers for background on the development of e-cars in the combustion engine鈥檚 birth country.
Tagesspiegel Background
The Bundestag, Germany鈥檚 parliament, is currently in a transition phase that is likely to take some time and which will delay the appointment of the parliamentary committees for climate and energy, Jakob Schlandt writes for the Tagesspiegel Background Energie & Klima. 鈥淭he Bundestag鈥檚 first constituent session has to take place 30 days after the election, hence on 24 October,鈥澨齋chlandt writes. But while the parliament will be formally operative from that date, the committees, the most important legislative organs, are unlikely to be ready before months of negotiation, he says.
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet The long road to a new government coalition in Germany for background.
General-Anzeiger Bonn
The incoming German government must not agree to phase out coal-fired power production in exchange for concessions to diesel cars, Michael Vassiliadis, head of Germany鈥檚 largest mining trade union,听IG BCE, said in an interview with the General-Anzeiger Bonn. Vassiliadis argued that a possible new German government coalition of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, the economically liberal FDP and the environmentalist Green Party might broker a deal in which the Greens鈥� demand for听coal plants to be shut down听is accepted by the other parties in return for Green restraint over car emissions. 鈥淚 can only warn against making deals of this kind,鈥� Vassiliadis said. Shutting down a large fraction of Germany鈥檚 coal plants would instantly make mining economically unviable, raise costs for energy-intensive industries, and put a strain on the electricity grid, he argued.
Read the interview in German .
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Climate & energy stumbling blocks for Jamaica-coalition talks and the 威力彩玩法 article Coalition watch 鈥� The road to a new German government.
Stuttgarter Nachrichten
The Baden Wuerttemberg Green-Christian Democrats (CDU) state听government has lodged a federal appeal against a city court ruling that found inner-city driving restrictions to cut air pollution permissible, Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports. The Stuttgart case could now be decided together with a similar case from the city of D眉sseldorf. The plaintiff, the Environmental Action Germany (DUH), welcomed the appeal saying it would accelerate the process of reaching a final decision, Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports.
Read the article in German .
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 article Merkel at second diesel summit: must avoid driving bans "by all means".
