Greens, AfD publish election programme/Nuclear clean-up details agreed
威力彩玩法 / Green Party
The German Green Party is determined to make climate protection and 鈥渆cologic modernisation鈥� a central issue of their election campaign. 鈥淐limate and environment policy also are a question of fairness,鈥� the Greens stated in a preliminary draft of the party鈥檚 election programme. 鈥淧rosperity is also about whether we drink clean water and breathe clean air,鈥� the party鈥檚 chairman Cem 脰zdemir said at the draft鈥檚 presentation in Berlin, adding that ecology continued to be the Green鈥檚 core competency. The party is focused on 鈥済etting the Energiewende back on track, exiting coal and supporting the emissions-free car,鈥� the election programme draft reads. The draft will now be debated within the party and a final version agreed at the federal party conference in June.
Find a press release in German and the full programme draft in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 article from November German Greens to make coal exit, fossil car ban an election focus and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet German elections ahead: The road to the next Energiewende government.
The 威力彩玩法 will publish a factsheet on the Green鈥檚 preliminary programme for September鈥檚 election later today.
Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) questions that climate change is mainly caused by humans, wants the country to exit the Paris Climate Agreement and abolish the recently adopted Climate Action Plan 2050, according to the first draft of its campaign programme for the upcoming federal elections. Other provisions:
- the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) should be 鈥渃ancelled without replacement鈥�
- existing nuclear power stations should not go offline before the end of their 鈥渢echnical operating life鈥�
- Germany should participate in international nuclear power research projects to 鈥渕aintain nuclear expertise鈥�
- 鈥渨ind power is an energy policy aberration, economically absurd and ecologically counter-productive鈥�
- e-mobility must develop within the market economy 鈥渓ike every technology鈥�
- abolish environmental zones (in cities) as they 鈥渧erifiably did not reduce particulate emissions鈥�
Find the full programme in German and the results of the party-members survey on campaign topics in German .
For full background on the elections read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The federal government and Germany鈥檚 four nuclear power station operators have agreed on contract details for last year鈥檚 agreement on financing the nuclear clean-up, report Helmut B眉nder and Manfred Sch盲fers for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The federal government made concessions, and is no longer demanding that the companies drop their lawsuits against the nuclear fuel tax, according to the newspaper. According to the agreement, the companies will pay 23.6 billion euros into a state-administered fund to finance interim and final storage of nuclear waste and decommissioning and dismantling nuclear plants.
Read the article in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Securing utility payments for the nuclear clean-up and Legal disputes over the nuclear phase-out.
Handelsblatt
Germany needs an upper limit for state-set levies and taxes that comprise large parts of the consumer electricity price, in order to relieve power consumers of rising costs, the state economy minister of North Rhine-Westphalia told Handelsblatt. 鈥淲e have naturally accepted defining and reaching concrete climate change targets. Why shouldn鈥檛 we define a maximum limit for state-induced price components in the power price as a binding target,鈥� said Garrelt Duin. Duin wants to freeze the levy consumers pay with their power bill to finance renewables development (EEG-surcharge) and pay the excess costs from a fund.
Read the article (behind paywall) in German .
For additional reform proposals read the 威力彩玩法 article Debate on financing renewables in new ways gathers pace in Germany.
Bloomberg
G20 finance ministers may encourage private funding for climate change instead of government pledges, according to a draft statement for the upcoming G20 finance ministers meeting, writes Joe Ryan for Bloomberg. This was a significant shift from what finance ministers from 2016, in which they urged governments to quickly implement the Paris Agreement, writes Ryan. It was unclear which G20 members pushed for the new language, writes Ryan. The draft statement did include passages on climate change and 鈥渆stablished a goal for G-20 nations to phase out fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by 2025,鈥� writes Ryan.
Read the article in English .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 article聽IEA director calls on Germany to lead on climate during G20 presidency.
TenneT / The Local
The Local reports on plans by transmission system operators from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands to build a giant artificial island in the middle of the North Sea where wind farms would create power for 80 million people: the North Sea Wind Power Hub.
Find the article in English and a TenneT press release in English .
Die Zeit
Germany鈥檚 image as a pioneer and enabler of renewable energy has suffered over the past years due to the diesel emissions scandal and the government鈥檚 reluctance to initiate a coal phase-out, writes Gregor Vulturius, research fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute in a guest commentary in Die Zeit. Vulturius calls for a clear commitment to the Energiewende 鈥渢hat is measurable in investments.鈥�
For background read the 威力彩玩法 factsheets Dieselgate forces VW to embrace green mobility and When will Germany finally ditch coal?
Spiegel Online
An automatic control system that turned the blades out of the wind too late is likely responsible for severely damaging several wind turbines聽at various locations in northern Germany during storms in December 2016, reports Stefan Schultz for Spiegel Online. The system reacted too late and the wind overstrained the facilities.
Read the article in German .
