Energiewende needs higher priority - gov advisors / VW cuts production
威力彩玩法
Germany will likely miss several of its key energy transition goals, according to leading experts commissioned by the German economy ministry (BMWi) to monitor the progress of the country鈥榮 energy transition. Among the three elements of the government's so-called energy policy target triangle - supply security, affordability, environment and climate 鈥� the monitoring commission noted the biggest failure in addressing climate protection sufficiently. In its non-binding advisory opinion on the ministry鈥檚 6th Energiewende Monitoring Report, published on 27 June, the experts said that Germany also lags behind in lowering energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency, and expanding the power grid. Energy transition policy must receive a higher political priority, Andreas L枚schel, head of the expert commission, told the 威力彩玩法. He welcomed the new government coalition鈥榮 decision to set up the commission tasked with charting the path for the country鈥檚 exit from coal, and its plan to introduce a climate protection law. However, key concrete measures, such as a reform of the energy taxes and levies system, including the introduction of a price on CO鈧�, were still missing, he said.
Find the econ ministry鈥榮 press release, the 6th聽monitoring report, and the expert opinion in German聽.
Note: The 威力彩玩法 will publish an article on this topic later today.
Reuters
New tighter emissions tests in Germany have led the country鈥檚 biggest carmaker VW to shut down its main plant in Wolfsburg for 1-2 days per week, Reuters news agency reports. Other VW plants will also see their production volumes cut, as the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), based on real driving conditions, has increased the emissions readings of several vehicles, delaying official road certification and sales, the article says.
Read the article in English .
For background, read the factsheet聽Dieselgate forces VW to embrace green mobility,聽and the dossier聽BMW, Daimler, and VW vow to fight in green transport revolution.
ACEEE
In an international ranking compiled by the US non-profit organisation ACEEE, Germany and Italy came first for being the most energy efficient countries among the world鈥檚 25 largest energy consumers. While 鈥渘o country came close to a perfect score鈥� of 100 points, Germany and Italy tied with 75.5 points each, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) said in a press release. The average score was 51 points. Germany scored particularly well in the 鈥榥ational efforts鈥� category, which covers cross-cutting targets and programmes. However, the researchers said that 鈥渁ll the countries we evaluated have clear opportunities to save more energy,鈥� and will have to do so if the Paris Climate Agreement is to be honoured.
Find the report in English .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and efficiency.
dpa / Die Welt
The majority of Germany鈥檚 heating systems are older than 20 years and must be refurbished, the Federal Association of Chimney Sweepers says according to a dpa article carried by Die Welt. If heating systems older than 15 years are included, more than 70 percent of these systems are inefficient, the association said at its annual meeting. According to the chimney sweepers, Germany鈥檚 transition to a low-carbon economy cannot take place without the significant refurbishment of its heating systems. 鈥淭here is no energy transition without a heating transition,鈥� said association president Oswald Wilhelm.
Read the article in German .
For background, read the dossier The Energiewende and Efficiency.
CDU parliamentary group
The parliamentary group of German Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 conservative CDU party has welcomed the first session of the commission tasked with planning the country鈥檚 coal exit, but stressed that 鈥渢horoughness must come before speed鈥� in the group鈥檚 overall approach. CDU climate politician Anja Weisgerber said that people in coal regions must be given attention and time for managing the economic transition from coal mining to other activities, while carrying out the 鈥�historic鈥� phase-out of this fossil power source. CDU energy politician Joachim Pfeiffer said a 鈥減remature coal exit would be irresponsible, both in terms of climate and of social policy.鈥� Pfeiffer said it was of utmost importance to guarantee supply security and price stability for German power customers. This, he said, overrides any other objectives the commission might have. 鈥淭he most efficient climate policy is not pursued nationally but rather in a European or global context,鈥� Pfeiffer said.
Find the press releases in German .
See 威力彩玩法鈥檚 coal commission watch for more information.
Renewable Energy Federation
The German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) says the country鈥檚 coal exit plan should be accompanied by a plan to achieve 100 percent renewable energy supply. 鈥淥nly planning security for industry can lay the foundations for investments鈥� and prevent economic hardship in the affected regions, the BEE says in a press release. The lobby group argues that a quick coal exit is necessary for Germany to reach its climate goals and lower the grid costs, as bottlenecks arising from 鈥渋nflexible鈥� conventional power plants continue to clog the power lines. The BEE reiterated its call for a carbon floor price as the best way to make the country鈥檚 coal exit efficient.
Find the press release in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet on Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission and the article Gore says Germany faces historic step as coal commission starts work for more information.
Der Tagesspiegel
Solving a complex social problem like the phasing-out of coal - Germany鈥檚 traditional and still most important energy source 聽- is a 鈥渃ore task鈥� of policymakers, and to outsource this task to an external commission amounts to 鈥�cowardice and refusal to work,鈥� Jakob Schlandt writes in a commentary in Der Tagesspiegel. While a similar commission has already successfully brokered the orderly decommissioning of nuclear plants, the German coal question is much too difficult and multi-layered for the government to put the onus on others and let them figure out how best to distribute money, jobs, and other resources at the national level, he writes. 鈥淏oth sides - opponents and friends of coal - can emotionalise their arguments, and while one side will talk about apples, the other will want to talk about pears.鈥� Schlandt considers it even more worrying that the commission begins its work at a time when Germany鈥檚 Energiewende has encountered its first fully-fledged crisis: the pro-climate political consensus is increasingly challenged from the right, and the country鈥檚 national and international emissions reduction goals now seem out of reach.
Read the commentary in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet on Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission and the article Gore says Germany faces historic step as coal commission starts work for more information.
elektroschiffahrt.org
The new Federation for Electric Shipping and Charging Infrastructure has set out to wane ship owners in Germany鈥檚 capital off diesel engines and to introduce e-boats instead to reduce inner city air pollution, the federation says in a press release and on its elektroschiffahrt.org website. According to the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), in cities with a shipping volume comparable to Berlin鈥檚, up to 30 percent of nitrogen oxide pollution and other harmful emissions come from inland water transport. 鈥淪pending a normally recreational moment at the Spree [Berlin鈥檚 main river] becomes a health liability this way,鈥� the federation says, adding that it will actively lobby the city鈥檚 policymakers and ship owners to initiate change.
Find the website in German .听
NRW Environment Agency
The German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is likely to have already met its 2020 emissions reduction target of 25 percent compared to 1990 levels, the state鈥檚 environment agency (LANUV) says in a press release. Almost one third of Germany鈥檚 total power production takes place in NRW, which is also the country鈥檚 most populous state. In 2016, NRW emitted about 286 million tonnes of CO2, 38 million tonnes or 22 percent less than in 1990. Roughly 53 percent of the state鈥檚 emissions come from energy production, which, however, is the sector with the greatest reduction thanks to the 鈥渓ow utilisation of existing plants and the decommissioning of others,鈥� the LANUV says. Emissions from transport, on the other hand, have risen by 3.4 percent since the reference year, the agency says.
Read the press release in German .
See the 威力彩玩法 article Germany on track to widely miss 2020 climate target 鈥� government for more information.
威力彩玩法
Parliamentarians from the German opposition Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens took aim at the government鈥檚 policies pertaining to energy and the climate, and to the international context of the country鈥檚 energy transition, the Energiewende. At a panel organised by the Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne), FDP politician Michael Theurer said Germany should not pursue a relatively ambitious climate policy, but should instead act in coherence with other nations. 鈥淚 think that it makes no sense and is not a rational strategy 鈥� and I would not want to advocate this to the voters 鈥� for us to go it alone on the international stage and attempt to reach something that we can鈥檛,鈥� he said.
Green politician Ingrid Nestle countered that it was right for Germany to be open to ambitious proposals coming from abroad. She described carbon pricing as a useful instrument for reaching emissions reduction goals, as it compels the market to favour low-carbon fuels and technologies. In light of French President Emanuel Macron鈥檚 call for a Europe-wide carbon tax, Nestle argued that now is the time for Germany to throw its weight behind such a proposal, and said that it is a 鈥渟hame鈥� that it has not yet done so.
Parliamentarian Johann Saathoff of the Social Democrats (SPD), whose party is a member of the current government coalition, said that Germany serves as an example to countries seeking to limit their carbon pollution around the world. If Germany lowers its ambition and fails to meet its emissions reduction targets, other nations will take note, he added. The 2017 announcement that Germany would likely miss its 2020 climate goal 鈥渨as communicated globally. Colleagues from Uganda and elsewhere commented 聽that 鈥業f even the Germans don鈥檛 adhere to their climate targets, then we don鈥檛 need to either.鈥櫬� So the worldwide impact of this announcement was enormous,鈥� he said.
For background, read the factsheet Campaign quotes: Greens and Free Democrats on Energiewende issues.
