It is said that in the spring of 1945 the skies above Germany’s Ruhr industrial region cleared and the Rhine river ran blue for the first time in almost a century. British and American bombing had stopped the German economy in its tracks. Nature, briefly, healed.
Germany has been experiencing a manufacturing recession at least for the past year. Recessions and war related destruction of manufacturing is good for reducing carbon monoxide emissions and thus reducing climate change.
Maybe I misread this, but I don't see why imports of clean energy wouldn't count towards permanent emissions cuts in Germany? A lot of renewables in Europe come in the form of offshore wind, it's natural to expect that some countries have better opportunities for that than others, or make a conscious decision to become a powerhouse for neighboring countries. As long as it's reducing CO2 emissions, should we care where the electricity is coming from?
"The nuclear exit decision was taken a generation ago and other than political troublemaking, nothing is served by wailing over spilled milk."
What nonsense. By that reasoning, we should not be crying over Global Warming at all, since we made the decision to pursue a carbon economy several generations ago. Just got to live with our stupid decisions forever, apparently. It's the German way.
One missed piece I just HAVE to mention: Emissions of fossil fuels production and transport. Sure: the emissions share of natural gas dropped slightly. But be switching from pipeline gas to LNG (partly from fracking) a multiple of former emissions was emitted in production and transport. And this part is completely hidden in the national balance of CO2-equivalent emissions.
Is this really significant? Well, yes, newer studies even point out, that using natural gas could get as worse as using coal if global emissions caused by this energy source are taken into account.
Looks almost like another step to "exporting" CO2-usage ... or at least more obfuscation is created by switching to LNG, which should be taken into account.
I think I understand the powerful impulse of businesses to seek resources and markets, and the prevailing religious orthodoxy (“go ye forth and multiply”), but I’m still kinda amazed that population control isn’t part of our resource-management toolkit.
While we struggle to move to non-toxic, non-catastrophic renewable energy, we tend to focus on SUPPLY. We could address DEMAND for energy by paying a stipend to women for each year that they defer having their first child.
There’s a 1999 Cornell University study that says: “Democratically determined population-control practices and sound resource-management policies could have the planet's 2 billion people thriving in harmony with the environment. Lacking these approaches … 12 billon miserable humans will suffer a difficult life on Earth by the year 2100.” http://news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/09/miserable-life-overcrowded-earth-2100
What happened to the comments here Adam? Time to get out of Substack, its becoming a hotbed of Fascists just like all the other US social networks. Go it alone like Molly White. You're good enough and popular enough to survive without Substack.
Oh dear, solar requires REE, and every ton of REE generates 2000 tons of toxins, including a ton of radioactive toxic thorium or uranium. So far that’s a Chinese problem, soon to be an African problem. Too many Africans anyway...
This carbon hatred is part of the religion of self loathing, and loathing of the flesh- we are carbon.
Gnostics win for now... our very bodies- and plant food (CO2) are an evil poison that must be purged.
I wonder if the actual polluters of real toxins and heavy metals and such intended this to go so far?
They of course paid for all this, not a pfennig of grant money to any is paid for any research unless it mentions Global Warming... and the ever greedy politicians and universities will say anything for money.
Especially Economists.
There will be a terrible reckoning for the Gnostics over this...
... but today their fortunes are high, and the unruly commoners crushed.
Interesting and well written article. 'The devil is in the details', and this was a very good way to tell about it.
TL;DR the german political class would slit their own children's throats if an American will pay them on the head and call them good dogs.
How is this not just a result of decline in total energy consumption? They're literally de-industrializing and developing back to the stone age.
Germany has been experiencing a manufacturing recession at least for the past year. Recessions and war related destruction of manufacturing is good for reducing carbon monoxide emissions and thus reducing climate change.
Good luck to the "stoplight coalition" I guess, but I don't like their chances over the next 18 months ...
Maybe I misread this, but I don't see why imports of clean energy wouldn't count towards permanent emissions cuts in Germany? A lot of renewables in Europe come in the form of offshore wind, it's natural to expect that some countries have better opportunities for that than others, or make a conscious decision to become a powerhouse for neighboring countries. As long as it's reducing CO2 emissions, should we care where the electricity is coming from?
I thought the decline was mainly due to the deep crisis Germany is experiencing today.
"The nuclear exit decision was taken a generation ago and other than political troublemaking, nothing is served by wailing over spilled milk."
What nonsense. By that reasoning, we should not be crying over Global Warming at all, since we made the decision to pursue a carbon economy several generations ago. Just got to live with our stupid decisions forever, apparently. It's the German way.
I saw no mention of the fact that last winter was a 6 sigma warmer than usual season.
That would seem to be a major factor along with the significant de-industrialization.
One missed piece I just HAVE to mention: Emissions of fossil fuels production and transport. Sure: the emissions share of natural gas dropped slightly. But be switching from pipeline gas to LNG (partly from fracking) a multiple of former emissions was emitted in production and transport. And this part is completely hidden in the national balance of CO2-equivalent emissions.
Is this really significant? Well, yes, newer studies even point out, that using natural gas could get as worse as using coal if global emissions caused by this energy source are taken into account.
Looks almost like another step to "exporting" CO2-usage ... or at least more obfuscation is created by switching to LNG, which should be taken into account.
I think I understand the powerful impulse of businesses to seek resources and markets, and the prevailing religious orthodoxy (“go ye forth and multiply”), but I’m still kinda amazed that population control isn’t part of our resource-management toolkit.
While we struggle to move to non-toxic, non-catastrophic renewable energy, we tend to focus on SUPPLY. We could address DEMAND for energy by paying a stipend to women for each year that they defer having their first child.
There’s a 1999 Cornell University study that says: “Democratically determined population-control practices and sound resource-management policies could have the planet's 2 billion people thriving in harmony with the environment. Lacking these approaches … 12 billon miserable humans will suffer a difficult life on Earth by the year 2100.” http://news.cornell.edu/stories/1999/09/miserable-life-overcrowded-earth-2100
What happened to the comments here Adam? Time to get out of Substack, its becoming a hotbed of Fascists just like all the other US social networks. Go it alone like Molly White. You're good enough and popular enough to survive without Substack.
Oh dear, solar requires REE, and every ton of REE generates 2000 tons of toxins, including a ton of radioactive toxic thorium or uranium. So far that’s a Chinese problem, soon to be an African problem. Too many Africans anyway...
https://hir.harvard.edu/not-so-green-technology-the-complicated-legacy-of-rare-earth-mining/
“It’s Complicated”
I noticed earlier post Eritrea 🇪🇷 needs some democracy... yes... don’t we all...
This carbon hatred is part of the religion of self loathing, and loathing of the flesh- we are carbon.
Gnostics win for now... our very bodies- and plant food (CO2) are an evil poison that must be purged.
I wonder if the actual polluters of real toxins and heavy metals and such intended this to go so far?
They of course paid for all this, not a pfennig of grant money to any is paid for any research unless it mentions Global Warming... and the ever greedy politicians and universities will say anything for money.
Especially Economists.
There will be a terrible reckoning for the Gnostics over this...
... but today their fortunes are high, and the unruly commoners crushed.
Whats happened to electricity prices in Germany?