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Traffic lights buckle in the face of farmers, Robert Habeck threatened, farmers‘ protests on Monday: The federal government buckles in the face of massive protests by farmers against planned subsidy cuts. The coalition wants to abandon the abolition of the motor vehicle tax exemption for agriculture. The abolition of tax breaks for agricultural diesel is to be spread out and implemented in several stages, according to the federal government spokesperson in Berlin. However, the German Farmers‘ Association considers the measures to be insufficient – and is sticking to a week of action planned for today. In the meantime, protests against the policies of the coalition government have escalated. More than 100 farmers intercepted Robert Habeck on his return from holiday and blocked the landing stage of a ferry; the police are investigating for breach of the peace and coercion. Despite the government’s concession, the farmers want to continue their protests. They are paralysing traffic throughout Germany with motorway blockades, convoys and creeping traffic to protest against the removal of subsidies. handelsblatt.com , fair-economics.de, welt.de , tagesschau.de
German government apparently wants to save on climate and environmental protection: Almost two billion euros are to be saved on marine protection and natural climate protection. The Ministry of the Environment has said that the plan is „painful“. According to reports, the German government is planning budget cuts that could also affect climate and marine conservation programmes. According to information from news agencies, based on sources from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the five billion euros originally earmarked for natural climate protection will be reduced to 3.5 billion euros by 2027. It is also expected that funding for marine protection will be cut by 250 million euros. Ministry circles are talking about „technically painful“ cuts. The programme in question is considered essential for adapting Germany to climate change. Despite the cuts, it is emphasised that a robust programme worth billions remains in place. The planned savings are intended to help address the financial deficits in the federal budget resulting from a judgement by the Federal Constitutional Court in November. zeit.de
Over one million new solar systems
were installed last year. Last year, the number of photovoltaic systems installed in Germany reached a record high. The industry expects the solar boom to continue in 2024. According to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW), more new solar systems for electricity and heat generation were installed last year than ever before, with over one million new installations. A significant proportion of these are so-called balcony power plants: around 270,000 plug-in solar devices were newly commissioned in Germany, four times more than in 2022. tagesschau.de
German electricity cleaner than ever – share of coal-fired power decreases: Germany’s electricity production is reaching new sustainability records, according to a recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. In 2023, around 55 per cent of German electricity came from renewable sources, with wind energy in particular growing strongly. Electricity imports also increased. At the same time, the use of coal for power generation fell to a historic minimum. Lignite and hard coal-fired power plants produced 126 terawatt hours of electricity, almost 30 per cent less than in the previous year and the lowest level since 1959. focus.de , ise-fraunhofer.de
Photovoltaic market: More installers looking for orders and system prices under pressure. Last year ended with a record number of installations. Nevertheless, installation companies are looking for orders again. Data shows how falling module prices and the new market situation are putting pressure on photovoltaic system prices. pv-magazine.de
Germany’s CO₂ emissions at lowest level in 70 years: In 2023, Germany has achieved a historic low in CO₂ emissions with a reduction of 46% compared to 1990: 673 million tonnes. However, experts are warning of a possible trend reversal. The main reasons for this development are a decline in coal utilisation and a weakening economy. A study shows that greenhouse gas emissions have fallen to their lowest level since the 1950s, with provisional figures for last year amounting to 673 million tonnes of CO₂. This puts Germany well below the target of 722 million tonnes set out in the Climate Protection Act. This decrease was expected after the Federal Network Agency reported that significantly less electricity was generated from coal in 2023. In addition, according to the lobby organisation Agora Energiewende, the energy-intensive production sector recorded declines due to the crisis and economic situation. zeit.de
700,000 euros too much confiscated from Last Generation: Around 700,000 euros too much has been confiscated from the climate protection group Last Generation during investigations in Bavaria. The Munich Regional Court has categorised the sum as disproportionate, according to a press spokesperson for the court. The confiscation also affected the assets of uninvolved third parties in a group account. focus.de
BOOK TIP OF THE WEEK:
DIE KUNST DES RADFAHRENS
The art of cycling
About life on two wheels and philosophy
In his book, former professional cyclist and doctor of philosophy James Hibbard tells the poetic and literary story of discovering the bicycle as an elixir of life. Framed by the description of a three-day cycle tour through California with two former professional colleagues, he describes his development from amateur to professional, his experiences as an active rider and his philosophical insights. The book is, on the one hand, a story about his love of cycling and the experiences he can offer, and on the other, a journey through 2500 years of Western philosophy.
The aspects of doping and the condemnation of sports fraud as an ethically intolerable crime are also given a lot of space, impressively described from the inside perspective of a professional. The author also openly describes his depression and how cycling and philosophy helped him to overcome it.
Higher CO2 levy: Fuel prices rose slightly at the beginning of the year. tagesschau.de
Economist Fratzscher on flood aid: „The flood disaster shows the nonsense of the debt brake“. spiegel.de
Gas consumption: Down five per cent in Germany in 2023 thanks to warmer temperatures. zeit.de
Supply chain law: Despite criticism, majority in favour of supply chain law. handelsblatt.com
Sustainability reports according to the European standard and CO: What will change for companies in 2024. berliner-volksbank.de
Global warming: China records warmest year since records began. tagesspiegel.de
Air dryness: Lowest value in Europe for 400 years. fair-economics.de
Browning of lakes: More and more fish are suffering from the dark broth. faz.net
Housing construction in Germany: Crisis likely to worsen in 2024. handelsblatt.com
On the red list: Trout is considered an endangered fish in Germany.zeit.de
Possible sabotage on LNG pipeline: Ten-millimetre holes are said to have been drilled in at least three places along the 55-kilometre pipeline. The federal prosecutor’s office is investigating. ndr.de
The seventeen goals magazine tells inspiring stories about how people move the world and shows how everyone can make a contribution to achieving the sustainability goals.
PODCAST OF THE WEEK:
Climate change and racism: the climate crisis is above all unjust – even in Germany
Friederike Otto is one of the most renowned climate researchers. She says in the podcast: If we see the climate crisis as a purely physical problem, we won’t be able to solve it. She doesn’t like the term „natural disaster“. Because whether a heatwave, drought or flood becomes a disaster or not depends above all on infrastructure, education and how much money a country, a municipality or even each and every individual has available to deal with it. The climate crisis, says physicist Otto, is therefore much more than just a purely physical problem that can be solved technically. Above all, it is a question of justice.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK:
Time for new resolutions, Mr Wissing!
by Rebecca Nordin Mencke.
Transport Minister Wissing repeatedly refuses to meet climate targets. Yet some solutions would be almost shockingly simple. And many people in cities and municipalities have already realised that climate protection is not about party affiliation, but about our future. In the new year, this idea should finally reach the federal level. „Stupid question, but what is the transport revolution?“ a friend asked me the other day. When I told her that we can only reduce greenhouse gases in the transport sector sufficiently if there are fewer cars, but there are currently more cars on the road in Germany every year, her eyes widened. She is by no means alone in this. In personal conversations, I repeatedly come across very fundamental misunderstandings. The fact that electromobility alone cannot solve the climate targets in transport has apparently not yet got around, even among people who are actually well informed. … So instead of entrenching himself in a „it won’t work anyway“ attitude and pointing the finger at other sectors, Mr Wissing should finally start looking at the solutions. They are sometimes astonishingly simple and above all simply need to be better communicated. …
Depending on the study, a speed limit on motorways could save around 1.1 million tonnes or even 6.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases per year – this is particularly important now, while electromobility is still a small niche market. Other solutions are more complex and require more preparation for implementation. But we should at least start with that too and not leave the discourse entirely to the stubborn deniers of solutions – especially as a federal minister. In any case, I am convinced that 2024 is a good year for a fresh start in transport policy. mdr.de
MOBILITY:
Consumer advocates call for clarity on the Deutschlandticket: Consumer organisations are calling for clarity on the future of the Deutschlandticket and continue to warn against raising the price. The head of the federal association (vzbv), Ramona Pop, said that the ticket was a real success. „Travelling by bus and train is finally easy nationwide. Many people are still convinced by the offer in principle.“ However, the wrangling over funding is unsettling passengers, while local authorities and districts are also suffering from the uncertainty. „The necessary planning security is missing.“ handelsblatt.com
Without the scarce raw material lithium: the first electric cars with sodium batteries roll off the production line in China. The production of electric cars with sodium-ion batteries has begun. In China, two manufacturers are ramping up mass production of the low-cost lithium alternative. The technology is apparently also making progress in Europe. spiegel.de
Large majority does not expect an EU ban on new registrations of combustion cars from 2035: The EU has decided to ban the registration of new cars with combustion engines from 2035. Hardly anyone in Germany believes that this will happen. merkur.de
Fewer flights within Germany: In terms of the number of flights and passengers, domestic air traffic has become less important since 2019. According to the Federal Statistical Office, from January to October 2023, a good fifth (20.6 per cent) of the approximately 715,500 flights took off from one of Germany’s main airports to a domestic destination. At the same time, 11.4 per cent of the 84.3 million passengers who took off during this period were travelling within Germany. The picture was similar in the same period last year. handelsblatt.com
Around 525,000 new electric cars registered: Compared to 2022, new registrations of electric cars have not risen very much. Tesla even had to accept a decline. In addition, significantly more new cars were registered in Germany last year. New car registrations rose by 7.3 per cent to 2.84 million for the year as a whole, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) in Flensburg. The number of new commercial registrations in particular rose sharply, while slightly fewer private cars were newly registered than in 2022. The share of new commercial registrations was 67.1 per cent. golem.de (electric cars), tagesschau.de (total new registrations)
Volkswagen: Achieves breakthrough with solid-state battery. handelsblatt.com
HYDROGEN:
Green hydrogen significantly cheaper at the start of the year: The short-term electricity markets fell significantly in the last two weeks of 2023 due to the high wind feed-in, mild weather and low demand caused by the public holidays. Spot prices fell by 67 per cent on a two-week basis. This in turn led to falling marginal costs for green hydrogen. Hydex Green reached the magic mark of EUR 2/kg for the first time and was quoted at EUR 62/MWh (EUR 2.07/kg) on average. energate-messenger.de
Thyssenkrupp calls for pipelines for Spanish hydrogen: The Essen-based steel group Thyssenkrupp is calling for the construction of hydrogen pipelines from Western and Southern Europe. Germany needs pipelines from countries such as Spain, Portugal and Morocco, said Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel López. „Otherwise it will hardly be possible to meet the huge demand for hydrogen in Germany,“ warned López. His company is currently building a steel production plant in Duisburg that will be able to run on both natural gas and hydrogen. In order to be able to completely dispense with natural gas there, thyssenkrupp needs 130,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year. In order for the two billion euros in subsidies to flow, the Group must operate the future plant at least partially with hydrogen. The subsidiary Nucera also builds electrolysers and wants to grow in view of the increasing demand. zfk.de
USA boosts hydrogen market with tax credits: In the United States, the government under President Biden is accelerating a comprehensive reorganisation of the energy sector with the Inflation Reduction Act. A central component of this act is the newly proposed regulations for the „Clean Hydrogen Production Credit“, which aim to boost the national market for hydrogen. On 22 December 2023, the US Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) presented draft guidelines that include four cross-technology credit tiers. The amount of these credits varies depending on the emissions intensity of the respective hydrogen production process. Interested parties now have 60 days to submit their comments on these drafts before the final regulations go into effect. The stated goal is to promote a domestic clean hydrogen industry. Although clean hydrogen has the potential to significantly reduce emissions in various areas, conventional production often results in significant pollution. Through the Clean Hydrogen Production Credit, the Treasury Department aims to make the production of climate-friendly hydrogen more economically attractive and thus contribute to reducing environmental pollution and promoting the clean hydrogen economy in the USA. iwr.de
H2 import with „Neo“ and „Leo“: The energy group Uniper is exploring the possibility of importing green hydrogen in compressed form to Germany using the so-called „H2Neo“ transport ships from Provaris. To this end, a letter of intent has been signed with the company specialising in the development of integrated hydrogen supply chains for regional markets in Europe and Asia. thb.info
LAST WEEK IN THE BUNDESTAG:
More than 740 million sheets of paper used: According to its own statements, the German government is focusing on an increasingly digitalised administration that gets by with little paper. However, the federal government and its subordinate authorities and institutions of the direct federal administration used almost 740 million DIN A-4 sheets and more than 13 million DIN A-3 sheets in 2022, according to the federal government’s answer (20/9828) to a minor question (20/9449) from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. The „Digital Administration 2020“ programme and the E-Government Act have laid the essential foundations, according to the answer. The switch from paper files to electronic files (e-files) as a key step towards modernising the administration and sustainability has, with a few exceptions, been completed in all authorities of the direct federal administration with the federal e-file and initiated with the e-file document management system for the Bundeswehr. According to the information provided, the administration’s internal processes are to be digitalised and networked across the board. The ongoing digitisation of the administration will enable the federal government to work largely electronically and therefore with less paper.
Charging options for e-car users without their own parking space: Measure 16 of the Charging Infrastructure Masterplan II has not yet been implemented, according to an answer from the German government (20/9883) to a minor interpellation (20/9481). Under the heading „Financial support for development in densely populated neighbourhoods“, measure 16 states: „Based on a needs analysis, the BMDV will examine by Q2/2023 how charging options for users without their own parking space can be supported financially and through a compilation of ‚best practices‘, particularly in densely populated neighbourhoods of all sizes. The programme takes into account existing federal programmes as well as funding activities in the federal states and municipalities.“ The implementation of the programme is dependent on available budget funds, among other things, writes the federal government. How the results will be utilised can only be determined after implementation. Irrespective of this, a comprehensive updated needs analysis will be carried out as part of the update to the study „Charging infrastructure after 2025/2030: scenarios for the market ramp-up“. According to the government, publication of the study is planned for the first quarter of 2024.
Beneficiaries of the federal government’s environmental programmes: Private individuals have not received any federal funding under the Forest Climate Fund and the Environmental Innovation Programme since 1 October 2021. This is according to the Federal Government’s answer (20/9871) to a minor question (20/9517) from the AfD parliamentary group. It lists the recipients of federal funding for this period under various programmes, including the Federal Biological Diversity Programme, the Wilderness and Forest Climate Fund, the Environmental Protection Export Initiative, the Environmental Investment Programme and the Federal Nature Conservation Fund.
TAKEN LITERALLY:
„The idea of green growth must not be taken to extremes“
Reinhard Loske, sustainability researcher and university lecturer, board member of the Institute for Ecological Economy Research and the Right Livelihood Foundation. In general, however, he is currently experiencing a tendency towards a backward-looking debate. People are only asking what needs to be done to please the industry – but without asking about qualitative criteria. For example, he hears that we absolutely have to keep the chemical industry in the country. This is appropriate, but at the same time it cannot be a licence for the industry. We also need to look at what this chemical industry actually does. What about glyphosate, what about neonicotinoids? What about the intertwining of chemicals with industrial agriculture, what about the issue of plastics and sustainability? If the state wants to favour individual industries, it must also impose qualitative requirements on them. Only then should they be subsidised with taxpayers‘ money.
AFRICA:
Cooperation to combat terrorism in the Sahel and West Africa: Following the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the remaining two members Mauritania and Chad announced the dissolution of the G5 Sahel in December 2023. A revival of the regional organisation is currently not foreseeable, writes the German government in its answer (20/9910) to a minor question (20/9594) from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which had asked about the fight against terrorism in West Africa. The German government went on to say that the West African coastal states are increasingly threatened by destabilising influences, particularly in the form of activities by extremist and terrorist groups from the Sahel region. In addition, there are the influences of organised crime and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, sometimes with varying degrees of connection to violent extremist or terrorist groups in the Sahel states.
Between the death penalty and great freedom: while homosexuals face the death penalty in Uganda, LGBTQ people in South Africa live relatively freely and safely. Queer people in Africa can go their own way with very different identities. nzz.ch
Somaliland – Ethiopia gains access to the Red Sea: Thanks to an agreement with Somaliland, Ethiopia will be able to use a harbour on the Gulf of Aden in future. The economy is set to benefit from access to new trade routes. zeit.de
Cooperation with Kenya: For the period from 2013, there have been 536 bilateral development cooperation measures and projects between Germany and the Republic of Kenya. This is according to the Federal Government’s answer (20/9895) to a minor interpellation (20/9529). For detailed information on all bilateral development cooperation projects and programmes implemented since then, the German government refers to the transparency portal: https://www.transparenzportal.bund.de/de/detailsuche?date_min=2013-01-01&country=KE
Visa requirement remains in place: Chaos over entry to Kenya. reisereporter.de
Returns planned: Objects are part of Tanzania’s history: many thousands of cultural artefacts from Tanzania are stored in German museums. For the communities, they form an important part of the historical tradition. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) now wants to return looted war booty through a collaborative project. The UN Anti-Racism Committee is calling for a comprehensive strategy, the SPD for clear regulations, and civil society and the Left for a restitution law. zwd.info
MORE KNOWLEDGE:
How satellite data can be used to monitor ecosystems: Monitoring weather patterns from space has been common practice for decades: cloud cover, temperature, humidity – all of this is constantly measured and analysed. Monitoring biodiversity on Earth is much more complicated, but it would be important in view of the rapidly advancing extinction of species. That is why sophisticated systems are currently being developed to bring together data from satellites, aeroplanes, drones and mapping. All these pieces of the puzzle should then fit together to form a picture in which the state of the respective ecosystem can be recognised. This knowledge should also make it possible to predict and prevent disasters. deutschlandfunk.de
Climate change is making the air drier: The atmosphere in Europe has become significantly drier in recent decades due to greenhouse gas emissions compared to pre-industrial times. This is shown by an international tree ring study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL. This exacerbates droughts and increases the risk of forest fires. The analysis of tree ring data dating back to 1600 shows that since the beginning of the 21st century, the air over large parts of Europe has become drier than in the rest of the period – and the trend is continuing. In view of the drought events in many regions of Europe in recent years, this is a cause for concern, says Kerstin Treydte, lead author of the study in the journal Nature Geoscience and researcher at WSL. fair-economics.de
Why animal testing still exists: Around seven million animal experiments are carried out in the European Union every year. Germany is in first place with more than two million animal experiments, plus the same number of animals that are bred for animal experiments but killed for organ removal or as „surplus“. In total, around five million animals are used in laboratories for basic research or safety tests: mainly mice and fish, but also cats, dogs and monkeys. More than 80 per cent of Germans reject tests involving live animals. However, an end to animal testing is not to be expected any time soon. deutschlandfunk.de
Climate destruction – and lavish profits: investors in the five major oil companies are enjoying a fabulous 100 billion dollars. But the money should be going to the victims of the climate crisis. spiegel.de
Energy policy: How secrets of the German Armed Forces were spied on via Nord Stream 2. handelsblatt.com
Looking for a job? These green jobs are in vogue. ingenieur.de
CALENDAR:
Hearing on the 2024 federal budget
Time: Thursday, 11 January 2024, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Berlin, Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus, conference room 3.101At its 71st meeting on 13 December 2023, the Budget Committee unanimously decided to hold a public hearing on 11 January 2024 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the
- Draft of a Second Budget Financing Act 2024 (provisional working title) (BT-Drs. 20/…)
to be carried out.
The hearing will be broadcast live on parliamentary television. List of experts
THE LAST:
Jena researchers want to predict extreme weather effects with AI
With the help of AI technology, researchers in Jena want to make the effects of climate extremes more predictable. According to the scientists, this could enable aid operations after floods or droughts to be planned earlier and the local population to be better warned. There are already models today from which a lot of information can be derived. „Weather forecasts often stop at the question of whether it will rain or not,“ says Markus Reichstein, Director of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. However, if geographical data or population data were included, AI-based early warning systems could be established. The aim is to have a functioning forecasting model in one to two years that aid organisations such as the Red Cross can use. There are already concrete talks about this. heise.de
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