Spiegel: EU Aims To Abandon Aggressive Climate Protection Targets … Germany’s ‘Energiewende’ Now At Risk!

Germany’s Der Spiegel writes here that the EU is moving to abandon its ambitious climate protection targets. This, Spiegel writes, is now a real threat to Germany’s much ballyhooed Energiewende (energy transformation to renewable energies).

The EU used to be a leading, unrelenting proponent of CO2 emissions reduction, even often ostracizing other industrial nations like the USA for not following its lead on carbon emissions. Many EU countries even implemented laws and generous subsidies to promote large-scale renewable energy systems. But now, some ten years later, EU policymakers are waking up to the exorbitantly high costs of green energies and their unpredictable, uncontrollable supply.

Originally the EU’s target was to reach 27% renewable energy by the year 2020, and 40% by 2030 (Germany is even pushing for 60% by 2036). Today the EU insists it’s still sticking to that target but Spiegel writes that emissions cuts will be voluntary in the future:

Upon request from Commission president José Manuel Barroso, the EU member states will no longer receive concrete requirements for expanding renewable energies in the future.”

Moreover, Spiegel writes that the EU wants to begin clearing the way for fracking. The controversial method is now widely used in the USA and natural gas prices there are some 65% cheaper than in Europe as a result, thus creating a serious competitive disadvantage in key industries – such as chemicals.

Germany, a vocal proponent of rash CO2 reductions and climate protection, has reacted critically to the EU’s new intentions. German economics minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) criticized the EU and wrote that it “cannot afford to let this opportunity to get away.”

The Berlin Foundation for Science and Policy (SWP) claims that more relaxed EU targets and less support for renewable energies could have real impacts on German climate policy: “In such a context it is going to get increasingly difficult for Germany to successfully maintain a national leadership position.”

In other words, as Europe abandons aggressive climate change policy, Germany eventually will be forced to follow.

In summary, Europe’s backing down from pushing through a radical green transformation of its economy appears to be in large part driven by the high costs to consumers and a worsening capability to compete globally. Rescued again by the free markets!

 

13 responses to “Spiegel: EU Aims To Abandon Aggressive Climate Protection Targets … Germany’s ‘Energiewende’ Now At Risk!”

  1. DirkH

    All conflicts between Brussels and Berlin are comedy. This allows Merkel to shift all accusations of not being green enough over to Barroso, who no German knows anyway.

    1. Bernd Felsche

      If by “comedy” you mean theatre, then I’d agree.

  2. Stephen Richards

    I don’t believe it. Barrosa is a Moaist. He supports central planning and dictatorship. He will not let his power be degraded by the EU populace.

    1. DirkH

      What gives you the idea that central planning is affected in the slightest? They simply terminated the CO2AGW pretense; not the central planning. The goal was never to stop global warming as it was an imaginary problem. The goal was to shift resources from the citizens pockets into the build up of a new energy infrastructure; for simple realpolitical geostrategic reasons (Europe being very densely populated and energy resource poor, relative to its consumption). An elegant deception.

  3. Buddy

    P. Gosselin:

    We have GOT to do something about those darn liberals….both in Germany AND the US. Did you see what those liberals in the US Navy said about the Arctic being ice free by the summer of 2016? Those liverals in the armed forces…..ever since they allowed gays, they have just gone nuts…..:)

    http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/dec/09/us-navy-arctic-sea-ice-2016-melt

    1. DirkH

      How did they validate the model? Did they validate it? Did it show predictive skill? Over what time span?

      Without these informations, the model can be considered useless.
      (And no, I’m not interested enough to read the entire drivel myself. Show us.)

      1. Buddy

        Dirk:

        I CLEARLY agree with YOU. I mean, it IS from the liberal US Navy….so the report is clearly biassed. I think it is TERRIBLE what those liberals are saying. But I think everybody is starting to see through their web of lies……well, everybody except 97% of climate scientists who actually do scientific work in the field…:)

      2. Buddy

        Dirk:

        Here’s yet ANOTHER study from “Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences” that describes how Europe will be impacted by more intense droughts in coming decades.

        http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140109091926.htm

        I think we have to stop these liberal reports right in their tracks First the US Navy, and now this. What CAN we do to debunk ALL those scientific reports? You know its just a liberal conpiracy….probably from the “Big O” himself. Incredible…..

        1. DirkH

          Wake me up when you warmists get a prediction right.

  4. Shock News!!!! Economic Suicide To Be Optional For The EU!!!!! | suyts space

    […] brings us this from the NTZ […]

  5. Adrian O

    That’s nice. It’s like going from mandatory tithing to passing around the basket.

    It should go down to individual choice. Green collection boxes, everywhere. And if a billion people happen to put $1000 each every year, you would get the $1 trillion which the European climate commissioner ids after.

    If not, not.

  6. Adrian O

    That’s nice. It’s like going from mandatory tithing to passing around the basket.

    It should go down to individual choice. Green collection boxes, everywhere. And if a billion people happen to put in $1000 each every year, you would get the $1 trillion which the European climate commissioner is after.

    If not, not.

  7. George B

    Also, since the final ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court in Germany that the post-Fukushima shutdown of the nuclear plants was illegal, will they be bringing those back up?

    http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C-German-nuclear-shutdown-unlawful-1401131.html

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