Germany is edging ever closer to its national target of 65% renewable energy by 2030: even as new government regulations slow down the speed of the Energiewende, market forces and Mother Nature have ensured that throughout 2018, renewable energy will cover at least 38% of Germany’s total electricity consumption. L. Michael Buchsbaum takes a look.
All posts tagged: Germany
Urban mobility: Berlin’s mean streets vs. Copenhagen’s sanity
Germany’s transportation sector has been called a “problem child” by Merkel. The problems are no joke, says Paul Hockenos: ten cyclists died in Berlin this year so far. Where’s the low-carbon, sustainable metropolis we were promised?
Last exit 1.5°C. Is Angela Merkel paying attention?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) special report on global warming landed like a bombshell, judging from headlines in media across the globe. Paul Hockenos takes a look.
Germany’s government responds to Hamburg’s “wind energy appeal”
At Hamburg’s Wind Energy Summit last month, the trade group WindEurope unveiled their latest market outlook that shows the industry is still on course for a solid growth of 17GW per year through 2022. However beyond that, growth is hampered by a lack of individual government policy clarity.
In a win for the environment, Hambach Forest stands (for now)
Late on Thursday evening, the 4th of October, tens of thousands of dedicated environmentalists were preparing for a battle. Shovels, axes, saws? Ready. Spray bottles to get tear gas out of your eyes? Filled. Masks to remain anonymous? Packed. L. Michael Buchsbaum reports from the Hambacher Forest.
Forget him not: Why the struggle to save the Hambacher Forest continues
After a week of skirmishes between scores of tree-occupying activists within the ancient Hambacher Forest and almost 4,000 police officers evicting them at the behest of the energy company RWE AG, the struggle has taken a tragic turn. L. Michael Buchsbaum reflects on the legacy of journalist Steffen Meyn.
Questionable methane estimates in the gas industry: the lesson from the U.S.
Have you heard that fracking is terrible for the environment? The problem might be natural gas in general: it turns out that regardless of extraction techniques, methane losses are about 60 per cent higher than officially reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lorenzo Cremonese explains.
Hambach Forest: the front line of Germany’s Energiewende
While the German government is supposed to set a coal phase-out date, energy utility RWE is putting the breaks on the Energiewende. Police are swarming the ancient forest which sits atop lignite resources, ending a six-year occupation. L. Michael Buchsbaum reports from Hambach forest.
Stricter CO2 standards for vehicles are not the reason for job losses
Despite negative media reports, environmental regulation cannot be blamed for the coming upheavals in the automobile sector. It’s the failure of the auto industry to react to the transition to electric vehicles that spells disaster, Daniel Rieger explains.
Will Freiburg go even greener?
Green cities aren’t just good for the environment – they’re good for the people who live in them. Freiburg, Germany has a great quality of life with its parks, public transit and clean air. But will the city keep pushing environmentalism or rest on its laurels? Paul Hockenos takes a look.