Posted on Dec 26, 2022
Climate activists are fuming as Germany turns to coal to replace Russian gas
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/26/ [login to see] /climate-activists-are-fuming-as-germany-turns-to-coal-to-replace-russian-gas
It's rush hour on a cold, snowy morning in Berlin. Commuter traffic has come to a standstill at a highway exit on the western edge of the city, as a dozen climate activists sit down on a pedestrian crossing in front of four lanes of cars and trucks.
The activists belong to a group called Letzte Generation, or Last Generation. Like many scientists, they argue that it'll be too late for future generations to stop the climate crisis if governments don't act now.
Lina Johnsen, a member of the group, looks cold as she finishes sticking her chapped, ungloved hands to the icy tarmac using industrial-strength superglue.
"We're here today because we can't just look and see what the government is doing right now," says Johnsen, a 24-year-old university student focusing on environmental science. "They're not taking overdue measures to protect future generation's lives."
Germany, Europe's largest economy, is racing to replace Russian natural gas after Moscow cut off a key pipeline over the summer. At odds with the government's climate protection promises, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition is investing more in fossil fuels, not less. It's firing up old coal power plants and investing in an entirely new liquefied natural gas infrastructure to fill the void left by the now-defunct Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
It's rush hour on a cold, snowy morning in Berlin. Commuter traffic has come to a standstill at a highway exit on the western edge of the city, as a dozen climate activists sit down on a pedestrian crossing in front of four lanes of cars and trucks.
The activists belong to a group called Letzte Generation, or Last Generation. Like many scientists, they argue that it'll be too late for future generations to stop the climate crisis if governments don't act now.
Lina Johnsen, a member of the group, looks cold as she finishes sticking her chapped, ungloved hands to the icy tarmac using industrial-strength superglue.
"We're here today because we can't just look and see what the government is doing right now," says Johnsen, a 24-year-old university student focusing on environmental science. "They're not taking overdue measures to protect future generation's lives."
Germany, Europe's largest economy, is racing to replace Russian natural gas after Moscow cut off a key pipeline over the summer. At odds with the government's climate protection promises, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition is investing more in fossil fuels, not less. It's firing up old coal power plants and investing in an entirely new liquefied natural gas infrastructure to fill the void left by the now-defunct Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
Climate activists are fuming as Germany turns to coal to replace Russian gas
Posted from npr.org
Climate Change
Germany
Russia
Environment
Science
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 5
The issue is that some 'climate activists' turn into 'climate terrorists' because they want have an absolute view on what needs to be done and use that view to justify any action they take. After all, if the 'fate of the world' is at stake, then nothing is off the table!
The absolute view is that "fossil fuels are bad!" is a prison of one idea. There is absolute good in the notion of transitioning away from fossil fuels to something that is more sustainable and less polluting. However, technology isn't where it needs to be with the creation of renewable energy and the storing of that for when it's not being generated.
That's one HUGE advantage that fossil fuels have over renewables - predictability and sustainability. Short of a break-down, you know how much energy you're getting, know how much resources are needed to make that energy, etc. If an industrial sized long-term storage battery was invented, then there might be a different discussion - you could store massive amounts of energy to compensate for when you can't produce any.
Climate activists can be said to be directly responsible for Germany firing up the coal powers plants again. The rise of the environmental movement and the Green part back in the late 90s led to Germany's law banning new nuclear power plants and a mandat that the existing ones would be shut down "over the coming decades". There was a brief hiatus under Chancellor Merkel in 2010 to keep the existing plants running because they supply cheap, low-carbon energy, and operate in all weather environments except for the most severe.
This turned around in 2011 with the Fukushima nuclear power plant issue. She quickly caved to the "anti-nuclear power" side of the Green party and accelerated the shut-down with the last remaining plant to be decommissioned by the end of this year.
That brings us to today.... Oppps... didn't plan on having an issue with the supply of those nasty fossil fuels coming from someone else and we're now facing a severe energy crisis. Can't go back to those nuclear power plants ... will take years to get them back up and running. Can't rely upon renewables - the technology just isn't there yet for reliable energy from them (sure, it's hopefully coming .. but it's not there yet).
What's left? Fire back up those old coal plants that are still on the grid.
The absolute view is that "fossil fuels are bad!" is a prison of one idea. There is absolute good in the notion of transitioning away from fossil fuels to something that is more sustainable and less polluting. However, technology isn't where it needs to be with the creation of renewable energy and the storing of that for when it's not being generated.
That's one HUGE advantage that fossil fuels have over renewables - predictability and sustainability. Short of a break-down, you know how much energy you're getting, know how much resources are needed to make that energy, etc. If an industrial sized long-term storage battery was invented, then there might be a different discussion - you could store massive amounts of energy to compensate for when you can't produce any.
Climate activists can be said to be directly responsible for Germany firing up the coal powers plants again. The rise of the environmental movement and the Green part back in the late 90s led to Germany's law banning new nuclear power plants and a mandat that the existing ones would be shut down "over the coming decades". There was a brief hiatus under Chancellor Merkel in 2010 to keep the existing plants running because they supply cheap, low-carbon energy, and operate in all weather environments except for the most severe.
This turned around in 2011 with the Fukushima nuclear power plant issue. She quickly caved to the "anti-nuclear power" side of the Green party and accelerated the shut-down with the last remaining plant to be decommissioned by the end of this year.
That brings us to today.... Oppps... didn't plan on having an issue with the supply of those nasty fossil fuels coming from someone else and we're now facing a severe energy crisis. Can't go back to those nuclear power plants ... will take years to get them back up and running. Can't rely upon renewables - the technology just isn't there yet for reliable energy from them (sure, it's hopefully coming .. but it's not there yet).
What's left? Fire back up those old coal plants that are still on the grid.
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The “green” people have been indoctrinated. Solar and wind power are simply to variable to be used. Trump warned Germany and they laughed at him. When the chips were down Germany beat on coal as reliable, sustainable and cost control able!
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when the climate activists have a plan to make power.....everyone will listen...
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