The Ruhr region of Germany was once a mining stronghold; now residents are seeking new livelihoods. The last hard coal plants in Germany will close in 2018, but what happens to their communities when they do? Emma Bryce looks at a just transition.
All posts tagged: Coal
Was Germany’s unrealistic 2020 climate target worth it?
By all accounts, Germany will fail to reach a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, coming in closer to 30%. How could the country go so wrong? Craig Morris says the target was practically out of reach when it was set.
The new German government must align the Energiewende with the European Union
Germany has been seen as a leader in renewable energy in the European Union, but there is still a long way to go. To revitalize both European and German energy transitions, Rebecca Bertram proposes three strategies for Germany’s new government to put in place at the EU level: better goals, binding goals, and the long-awaited coal phaseout.
France wants a carbon price. How high should it be?
French President Macron has proposed closer cooperation with Germany to strengthen the EU. One aspect is higher carbon prices – between 25 and 30 euros per ton of CO2. Craig Morris explains what impact different prices would have on Germany’s energy system.
Court stalls new coal plant in South Africa
Civil society has used many forms of activism to push for a transition to a greener electrical grid in South Africa. This year, they’ve taken their battle to the courts, winning two significant rulings. Leonie Joubert takes a look at the case to stop a new coal-fired mega-station north of Johannesburg.
Why China is serious about becoming the global leader on climate change
The Trump administration’s hostility towards climate action and research leaves a void in global climate politics. Could China step up? David Tyfield says yes.
Are renewables good for democracy? Not necessarily.
In Carbon Democracy, Timothy Mitchell describes how people’s ability to sabotage the economic system strengthened democracy. Craig Morris wonders what the future holds – and if the year 2050 might be cleaner, but also less democratic.
“Free trade” should be called “forced trade”
Timothy Mitchell’s Carbon Democracy says that our fossil fuel consumption has shaped the state of our democracies in ways poorly understood. A look at the role of the oil sector from colonialism until today sheds light on the impact. Craig Morris takes a look.
How coal and oil impact democracy differently
Because it was vulnerable to worker sabotage, the coal sector provided an environment in which democracy could grow stronger, at least up until the mid-20th century, when oil began to replace it – not only as a source of fuel, but as a way of keeping democratic demands in check. Craig Morris goes in-depth.
McJihad: how fossil fuel has shaped western democracies
In Carbon Democracy, Timothy Mitchell calls into question our simplistic notions of why there is democracy in some countries and not in others. He claims that vulnerabilities in the coal sector opened up opportunities for democracy to advance, but in the past hundred years the rise of oil sector was exploited to undercut it. Craig Morris has the details.