If you want a good snapshot of the energy insanity that has swept Germany of its feet over the last years, James Conca has it at Forbes here. Short and to-the-point!
How many German readers here at NTZ will disagree? Not many I suspect. Hat-tip Science Skeptical.
Germany — Insane Or Just Plain Stupid?
We usually give the Germans credit for being rational, but this coal plant will emit over one million times more carbon this year than all of their nuclear plants would have over the next 20 years, and cost over twice as much to run as any one of the them. Germany’s present strategy will absolutely not allow them to reduce their carbon emissions anywhere near their goal of 40% by 2020.
Unless the German people give up the nice parts of their lifestyle and become insanely efficient, they most likely will not reduce their emissions at all by 2020.
No one thought Germany would be insane enough to shut down their nuclear plants, without a reason and without backup….” Continue reading…
That’s because nobody knew how drugged-up-on-green the Germans have become over the last 20 years. Even the conservatives are marching to the beat of fundamentalist green – in a zombie state, all thinking they are going to get 70 virgins in climate paradise later on.
To James Conca: never under-estimate Germany’s power of collective thinking, and it’s potential to send the entire nation through a phase of insanity.
Yes, I’m sorry to say, and likely violating the rules of being a good guest here, the German leadership did indeed become scientifically, collectively insane – all led on and duped by an elitist class of crackpot scientists, journalists and activists. The proof is in the reality, as so vividly exposed by James Conca.
Now, finally, the conservatives, it seems, prodded along by the Free Democrats, are beginning to recognize their folly and are quietly going back to what really works.
“Yes, I’m sorry to say, and likely violating the rules of being a good guest here, the German leadership did indeed become scientifically, collectively insane”
You’re very welcome. Meanwhile the Greens lose approval, down to 13%; Handelsblatt points out that they are dominated by old leftists from the founding of the party who are not willing to make room for youngsters. “New Stagnation” the article is called.
http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/neue-stagnation-gruene-sacken-in-waehlergunst-ab/7084416.html
And the EU will abolish incandescent light bulbs starting with 10 Watts this September.
http://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/kommentare/kommentar-das-absurde-aus-des-heimeligen-lichts/7078326.html
The continent is mad.
“The continent is mad”.
Only two countries, actually put money into the Brussels coffers, Germany and Britain.
Further, the two most ‘green agenda mad’ nations are as above, if it were not for German and British demand, money and a propensity to bend over and take it up the **** – the EU would fail.
Now, indeed, ‘the continent’ is mad but not as mad as on first inspection. Lets be honest – its the idiots who subsidise and pay lip service to this madness who are the candidates for a permanent stay in a padded cell.
What is needed is some reality and anti EU sentiment to take hold in Westminster and the Bundestag+Bundesrat – I don’t see evidence of that occurring/happening in either legislature.
What then?
It needs real change in the politics in both nations: what we need is a revolution in the people’s [the electorate] minds, for too long the EU mindf**k has rendered both nations in a transfixed stasis.
Will it change?
Dream on.
“70 virgins…”: that’s the OTHER Green religion, and those are reserved for “those who die in battle” (i.e. blow themselves up & as many civilian bystanders as possible). The Greens (our ones, even the radical ones) have not yet gone down that Earth First!/Edward Abbey route yet; in fact, they belong to a religion that has abolished any notion of a transcendent hereafter and only lives for a utopian tomorrow on Earth, when “the lion will lie down with the lamb”/”the proletariat will rule”: they took that over from the Red religion. They also learned from the history of that fraction that religious rites like May Parades in the Red Square can be off-putting (better have some silly Carnival with funny hats) & that any effective religion rules best through Bureaucracy.
Not exactly right; every Muslim who gets into paradise will get the 70 houries (which are according to Luxenberg raisins, not virgins); but those who die in battle are guaranteed paradise even if they have sinned before.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christoph_Luxenberg
The Germans may have to slow down, bu it appears that the goal of 2020 is 35%. From their present 25%, they only have to do a little over 1% a year to get there.
We usually give the Germans credit for being rational, but this coal plant will emit over one million times more carbon this year than all of their nuclear plants would have over the next 20 years, and cost over twice as much to run as any one of the them. Germany’s present strategy will absolutely not allow them to reduce their carbon emissions anywhere near their goal of 40% by 2020.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/28/us-germany-nuclear-idUSBRE87R0JA20120828
Thanks in part to a law that guarantees renewables above-market rates, Germany has seen a rapid expansion in solar panels and wind turbines. With about 25 percent of German power already derived from green sources, experts say it is well on track to hit its 2020 goal of 35 percent.
“If we let things continue, we will be getting 40 percent or 45 percent of our power from renewable energy by 2020 rather than 35 percent,” Altmaier said at a renewables conference.
“We usually give the Germans credit for being rational, but ”
At your own peril. Germans are mostly social democrat and get their economic knowledge from Der Spiegel. Meaning, they don’t know squat.
If they are the strongest economy in the Euopean Union, is this just luck or are your perceptions a little biased.
good article on welt.de about GW. (only german, but maybe Pierre is willing to translate some parts)
http://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/article108940013/Wir-Kinder-der-Eiszeit-profitieren-von-der-Erderwaermung.html
Regards
Ike
found another nice piece to read at spiegel.de
Warming climate in Greenland:
“Man findet keinen Grönländer, der sich über diese Entwicklung nicht freut. Kartoffeln und Rüben reifen nun besser, seit Kurzem werden Salate und Kräuter auch im Freiland angebaut. Rhabarber ist Ende Juli reif. Bei Qaqortoq und dem Ort Narsaq liegen Testfarmen, auf denen Forscher mit neuen Sorten und Anbaumethoden experimentieren. Tomaten wachsen in Treibhäusern. Draußen, in den Gärten der 1500 Bewohner Narsaqs, wiegen sich üppige Sommerstauden im Wind. Im Volksmund heißt Südgrönland nun Bananenküste.”
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/reise/wandern-im-sueden-von-groenland-an-der-bananenkueste-1.1453914-2
Ike
“Germany — Insane Or Just Plain Stupid?”
How about both.
It is a shame because Germany at one time was renowned for producing many brilliant scientists but now……. only a few these days.
It is a shame that this has come to be at this time in history.
Careful.
Only C-rated hacks become climate scientists.
Here’s the real deal.
http://www.innovations-report.com/
I see that their German page has a completely different newsticker. So, just for completeness.
http://www.innovations-report.de/
Maybe they don’t translate everything; or they update the two streams separately depending on when a translation is ready. The German stream contains a lot of German research results missing from the English one.
Tonight on the public TV news, spec. NHK World, was a report on a conference in Japan about renewable energy to replace their nuclear power. It was noted that a German official/scientist? was there cheering them on. I wonder if he told them about the 20 plus coal plants that Germany is going to build in place of nuclear