Wall Street Journal Comments German Government Running “World’s Dumbest Energy Policy”

The German language Epoch Times here reports how the entire editorial board at the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) commented how the “German government under Angela Merkel was running the “world’s dumbest energy policy”.

“Devastating comment”

After having wasted billions of euros on renewable energies, saddling consumers with ultra high power prices, shutting down nuclear power plants, Germany has just decided to shut down its coal power plants by the year 2038. The Journal writes on the move to exit coal:

Having wasted uncountable billions of euros on renewables and inflicted some of Europe’s highest energy prices on German households and businesses, now Berlin is promising to kill the one reliable power source Germany has left.”

The Epoch Times calls the Wall Street Journal commentary “a devastating comment on the conduct of political decision-makers in a country that is not geopolitically considered an explicit opponent of the US.”

Even exceeds Europe’s “stupid environmental policy”

The Epoch Times, along with the Wall Street Journal, also says that “although stupid environmental policy is routine throughout Europe, with reference to the fuel taxes of French President Emmanuel Macron, who had triggered the protests of the yellow vests, the looming German renunciation of coal, however, would easily exceed even this standard.”

Last reliable source will be shut down

“After the leadership in Berlin had already wasted countless billions of euros on renewable energies and had imposed the highest energy prices on European households and companies, Germany was now also offering the prospect of the end for the only reliable source of energy left to the country,” The Epoch Times wrote.

The Epoch Times also questions Berlin’s move with regards to pollution, writing that if the government complains that it is unduly polluting the environment, then it must ask itself why it had been “making the wrong political decisions for more than a decade” since it decided to burn more coal in lieu of the nuclear power plants which were shut down in 2011 in the wake of the Fukushima accident.

Green folly, dangerously dependent

And as Germany pushes to complete its Nord Stream 2 monster pipeline for delivering gas from Russia, the WSJ believes that Germany is dangerously making itself energy dependent on foreign countries. Just the compensation that has to be paid to coal power plants operators for the early shutdown will cost consumers 40 billon euros, the Epoch Times writes.

The WSJ does not think Chancellor Merkel will come to her senses, but hopes her successor Annegret Kramp Karrenbauer will. The WSJ adds:

Her successor will have the opportunity to name Ms Merkel’s green folly, and Germany’s troubled electricity customers should hope that this is the case.” 

14 responses to “Wall Street Journal Comments German Government Running “World’s Dumbest Energy Policy””

  1. mwhite

    Something to keep your eye on.

    http://gridwatch.co.uk/

    Early next week most of the UK will be in an area of high pressure. Zero wind, cold frosty nights. Scroll down the page

    “There are currently 16 Coal power stations in the UK. The current Governments plan is to shutdown all coal stations by 2025.”

    Coal power stations have been burning all winter stepping in when the wind stops.

    1. Yonason

      Yeah, the UK is on the wrong track, as well.

      And then there’s Spain…
      https://stopthesethings.com/2014/06/02/spains-renewable-energy-disaster-draws-to-a-close/

      …and Australia…
      https://stopthesethings.com/2017/07/19/australias-renewable-energy-disaster-puts-lives-at-mortal-risk-more-powerless-pensioners-will-freeze-to-death-this-winter/

      So it may be premature to say that Germany has the “World’s Dumbest Energy Policy.”

      ‘Step right up, folks. Don’t be shy. Plenty of stupid to go round.’

    2. Newminster

      Wind currently supplying 30% though! Enjoy it while it lasts.

  2. tom0mason

    While Germany tries to get out of coal, last month it came to light that China approved nearly $6.7 billion worth of new coal mining projects in 2018, and production increased 5.2% to 3.55 billion tonnes. China is now responsible for 46% of global production and 51% of global demand. But wait — now India is digging for more coal also …
    52 coal mines opened in 5 years to fuel power drive to provide electricity for all homes ran the Indian government announcement.
    The Indian government has also scrapped a separate excise duty levied on coal companies, which was used by the federal coal ministry to shore up funds for enhancing safety, after it reformed tax policies in 2017. This hoped to help stimulate coal mining companies to more exploration and redevelop older mines, and bring them online within 5 years. This is part of the Indian governments drive to bring electricity to all households within 5 years!
    (More at From https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/government-opened-52-coal-mines-to-fuel-pm-narendra-modis-electrification-drive/articleshow/67646776.cms )

    So what is Germany’s token gesture all about?
    Reducing CO2 emission? What for?
    With China and India ramping up coal production and generation with gleeful abandon, Germany’s effort will have just about zero effect on worldwide production of (human) industrially produced CO2 levels.

    So maybe Ms Merkel’s aim is to setup the following chancellor to fail as well as have Germany relying on Russian gas. And maybe this will give her the ‘gold standard virtue signaling’ required when she grabs a cushy UN job when she vacates her current position. Meantime Germany’s future swirls round the pan and heads for the de-industrialized penury the UN so wishes for all the Western industrialized nations.

  3. Jurgen

    If Frau Karrenbauer wants to understand how just foolish is her predecessor’s energy policy, she would be well advised to watch
    Professor Salby’s recent lecture at the Helmut Schmidt University.

    https://youtu.be/rohF6K2avtY

  4. Henning Nielsen

    Oh please close the coal plants. Russian gas won’t be enough, you will need a lot of Norwegian gas as well. Ok, today you think it is too expensive, but you will get used to even higher energy prices, so don’t worry. Thank you for buying our gas!

  5. Nzrobin

    Or is this the playing out of Maurice Strong’s plan as stated at the 1992 Rio conference. Ie, to shut down the industrialized west. The question remains, do the politicians who lead this know what they are doing, or have they been deceived?

    1. Curious George

      Politicians always act selflessly for the good of their voters, never for a personal profit 🙂 – but I don’t see even a personal profit here. Maybe they do it just for power, like Comrade Maduro?

      1. posa

        But Green policies ARE what the vast majority of Germans want. Karrenbauer is even more demented and fanatical than Merkel. I say: This is democracy in action. Give the people what they want. You want to pretend that Green policies are somehow imposed by a tyrannical government. Not so. This is the will of the German people.

        Let them and the Brits serve as an object lesson for the rest of the world… yes, it’s a tragic suicide … but we will all benefit from a contagion of idiocy.

        1. Yonason

          “You can’t fool all the people all the time.”

          The sad truth is that you don’t have to.

      2. Yonason

        “I don’t see a personal profit here.” – Curious George

        LOOK HARDER.

    2. Yonason

      “The question remains, do the politicians who lead this know what they are doing, or have they been deceived?” – Nzrobin

      Yes to the first.
      No to the second.

      And to the one you didn’t ask, “How much are they being paid.”

      Apparently more than enough.

  6. Wall Street Journal: German Government Running ‘World’s Dumbest Energy Policy’ – Menopausal Mother Nature

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  7. John F. Hultquist

    The WSJ article has 462 comments on its web-site, as of 2/8/2019.
    I worked through the most recent 20, plus a few more.
    A few crazy things, but some are spot on.
    Example from 2 days ago:
    To replace coal and nuclear energy plants which produced 2017 over one trillion kWh per year in Germany one needs to build approx 220.000 windmills. . . . So just answer the question please where do you want to build these windmills in Germany?“[Reinhard Benditte]

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