Most of us already suspect that environmentalists are dictatorial wolves dressed in the democracy sheepskin. Despite all the lip service they pay to justice and liberty, they are really all about state power and regulation.
So it is with Germany’s authoritarian statists and greens, who not long ago called for the enactment of a nationwide “Veggie Day” once a week in order to start weaning people off climate-killing diets containing meat. Fortunately the citizens roundly rejected the nonsense, sending the wackos off – to return another day.
German city of Bremen attempts to form a green police to enforce proposed ban of electric heaters.
Well, that “another day” has already arrived. The latest suggested intrusion into and control over our private lives is reported by the Liberal website of Friedrich Naumann Foundation For Liberty.
In the northern port city of Bremen, just a single hour away from the home of NoTricksZone, officials are now busily playing let’s-save-the-planet and zealously committing the city to cutting its carbon footprint by 40% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.
Hat-tip DirkH
How is this to be done? The Liberal writes (my emphasis):
One of the planned measures: The ‘ban of electric heaters’. What sounds like one of the usual injection of fuel into the green bonfire of bans in fact takes on a whole new quality. The proposed law by Environment Senator Joachim Lohse foresees a system of monitoring that allows for detection of violations and punishment. According to the Weser-Kurier daily, officials would ‘in carrying out the duties of their office, tread upon private property and enter private buildings‘. The provision of the German Constitution for the inviolability of the home would in this respect be curtailed.”
The Liberal adds:
Here Lohse is creating nothing less than an environment police.”
As mentioned, the proposed law for the city of Bremen of course would clash with Article 13 of the German Constitution which guarantees private individuals the “inviolability of the home”. But in the City of Bremen, which is run by a coalition of climate protection-obsessed socialists and greens, little things like Constitutional Rights are not about to stop their hunt for electric radiators as part of their mission to rescue the planet. After all it’s far more vital to improve the city’s carbon footprint and to promote sustainability then it is to uphold the Federal Constitution.
In their distorted minds, not having an electric heater is more important than having fundamental Constitutional rights.
as Germany’s electricity gets more expensive guess the green police will be left twiddling their thumbs.
Total madness… Seriously. these greens should be prisoned.
There are no laws against stupidity and mental illness and so imprisonment is not possible. If it were illegal, at least a quarter of the population would be locked up for life – and free-loading 100%!
All “greenies” and environmentalists must register with the authorities to have their electricity permanently disconnected. That would include apartment buildings where they live.
The “greenshirts” are coming!……….I guess the lessons of the last century weren’t learned very well………….
If Germany is so smart, why did they shut-down their nuclear power industry? Why don’t they start fracking? I have no sympathy for people who fall for the AGW agenda.
“If Germany is so smart, why did they shut-down their nuclear power industry?”
Arguably, a large part of the electorate are anti growth, anti technology, anti liberty socialists.
Just like in California or NYC.
Same nutcases, different trappings.
I’m guessing this green initiative has something to do with regional heating (not sure of the term used) whereby a central (community) source of heat goes out to many hundreds of buildings. The University in Ellensburg, WA uses such a system via underground pipes. The City of Boise, Idaho has some of the area heated using a geothermal source.
http://www.energy.idaho.gov/renewableenergy/history.htm
Group homes, such as assisted care facilities, struggle with the issue of family bringing small electric heaters into the rooms of their elderly mother or father. Heavy blankets or Afghan Throws are the preferred solution but these don’t always serve the person well.
Regional heating of communities is rare compared to the heating of buildings by units within (in-house; or in situ) using gas, electric, wood (or wood pellets, pressed logs), or coal. We live where winters are cold. We have an air sourced heat pump (and AC) with in-line electric resistance heaters for when outside temps are too low to provide heat. Power source is hydro.
We have, as do many folks, small ‘ oil-filled radiator heaters ’ for rooms that seem cool when the central system is set low and doesn’t cycle on and off often enough to push ~warm air into a corner (windows on two sides) room. Search images for ‘ oil-filled radiator heaters ’.
During “air advisories” (high pressure, inversions, stagnant air) the county does ask that (unless a sole source of heat) wood stoves not be used. Another regulation insists that work-sheds or other free-standing structures not be heated with wood unless they are insulated. These are related to air quality issues and not carbon dioxide emissions.
Anyway, the world needs inexpensive and abundant electricity, not cheap green police.
John, most German cities have small combined cycle powerplants, extremely efficient, always delivering district heating; my flat is on such a system. When you are connected you would never use electricity for heating, that would be complete stupidity given German electricity prices.
The plants are gas or coal fired and have flue gas scrubbing. I can’t quite make sense of the Green; maybe it’s just a dictatorial outburst of his deeply disturbed nature. People use what’s most efficient for them anyway.
I know some localities have banned the electric radiant “mushroom-type” heaters popular on patios. Electric heaters in general are fine for patio or workshop use when you need quick heat for a short time. I agree everyone has sense enough not to use them for regular home heating.
Of course the next step will be to ban hair dryers, toasters and dryers.
This news has been reported over here in the U.S by the Daily Caller:
http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/21/german-city-wants-green-police-to-raid-homes-to-enforce-electric-heater-ban/
Our green police, with body armor and guns, have already struck according to Daily Caller:
“Apparently the green police have already been active in Alaska, according to this source: Environmental cops may be a concern in Germany, but they are a reality in the U.S. Last year, armed agents with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency raided a gold mine in Alaska investigating supposed violations of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
“Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force swarmed the mine near Chicken, Alaska in groups of four to eight, wearing body armor and carry guns. However, no arrests were made in the raid and no citations were issued.”
Thanks for alerting me to this!
If you are going to ban electric heaters then what about electric cars. 😉
What shocks us today and sometimes even makes us laugh out loud with disbelief soon becomes commonplace !
Can they come into bedrooms and check under the covers for heating blankets?
Excuse me, please … but these people are truly eco-Nazis.
Half-measures are never successful. The city of Bremen should start with turning off ANY heating in all public buildings and in residences of elected officers. Effective immediately; why wait 6 long years?
They could save a lot of trouble by simply resurrecting the old policing rules from the 1930s.
[…] By P Gosselin on 21. März 2014 […]
Lest we forget, the Greens are the invention of the East German Stasi even though it sometimes sounds as if dear old Adolph was their founder.
They were not founded as a Maoist organisation. Contained right wingers at the start. Got infiltrated and overtaken by K Gruppen Maoists only later. It took the K Gruppen a while to recognize that this was the movement they always hoped for, one that could mobilize the proletariat (anti nuke movement). After they recognized it, they fought their way to the top and shifted the Greens to the far left.