The Institute for Energy Research (IER) says angst is a main driver behind the Energiewende, which will fail to reduce emissions without shale gas, especially without nuclear. Craig Morris says some critics sound like they are a bit afraid themselves – that the Germans might pull off their transition without fracking or nuclear. In its critique entitled “Germany’s angst over hydraulic fracturing and emissions reduction targets,” the IER writes: “[…] if Germany does insist on meeting its own CO2 goals, banning hydraulic fracturing would close the country off to a source of relatively low-emission energy and make meeting its stated targets more difficult. There is nothing to argue with in that sentence, but lots of problematic statements elsewhere – starting with the title. Charges of German angst pop up in whack-a-mole fashion. They are easy to disprove, especially when we take account of the reaction of other nations to nuclear accidents. Concerns about nuclear risks only entered the foreground in the German debate after the accident of Chernobyl in 1986, when German officials warned the … Continue reading Angst… that the Energiewende will work