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Chief controller explains supply chain law: Many companies consider the new supply chain law an imposition right now. Chief Controller and Bafa President Thorsten Safarik tries to reassure them in an interview and wants to reduce the burden on companies.  There is little point in imposing hurdles on companies in Germany to put them at a disadvantage on the world markets. The only consequence would be that companies from countries where human rights are sometimes trampled on would fill the gap. This would be a disservice to the issue. wiwo.de

Lützerath is to give way – Criticism of the Greens: The North Rhine-Westphalian village of Lützerath is to be mined, the energy company RWE announced last. Environmentalists and residents in the region had demanded that Lützerath be allowed to remain and that the lignite under the village not be mined. Now it is certain that the houses will be demolished. The German government has taken a number of measures to reduce dependence on Russian gas supplies. To this end, old coal-fired power plants are to be brought into use. RWE had announced its intention to put lignite-fired power plants back into operation. According to RWE, the coal under Lützerath is needed „to operate the lignite fleet at high capacity in the energy crisis“.  Climate protection activist Luisa Neubauer sharply criticised the Greens for their decision to mine the village of Lützerath in the Rhenish lignite mining area. „No German company has fuelled the climate crisis as much as RWE and now the Greens, of all people, have let RWE show them up. taz.de , stern.de

Summer drought was 20 times more likely this year

The northern hemisphere summer of 2022 was one of the warmest ever recorded in Europe – with more than 24,000 heat-related deaths. Parts of China and North America also experienced severe heat waves. The droughts resulting from heat and drought caused widespread water shortages, forest fires and crop failures. Food prices rose and electricity supplies suffered. High temperatures, fuelled by (anthropogenic) climate change, dried out northern hemisphere soils outside the tropics this summer. A team of climate researchers led by ETH Zurich concludes that the likelihood of this is on the rise. solarify.eu

Chemical industry fights new EU regulations: The Chemical Industry Association wants the EU to abandon the announced revision of its chemicals legislation Reach. „Since the EU already has the highest standards of chemical safety in the world, we plead in view of the current situation to postpone regulations such as the revision of Reach, which would further burden the competitiveness of the industry,“ said a VCI spokesperson. Recently, parliamentarians and environmental groups had turned to the EU Commission and insisted on a quick revision of the „Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (Reach)“. taz.de

Poor coordination of foreign climate policy: The results of a study of German foreign climate policy are sobering.  It is poorly coordinated, lacks strategy and is underfunded. The Berlin-based New Climate Institute analysed the Foreign Office’s policy and presented it last week.  New Climate’s suggestions are: Secretary of State for Climate Foreign Policy, Jennifer Morgan, had announced on Twitter in April: „We’re building Climate Team Germany!“ She was joined in the round by a number of state secretaries from other climate-related departments. This „climate team“ could be expanded to include other important ministries, such as transport, agriculture, research and finance. klimareporter.de, newclimate.org (original study)

Disagreement on continued operation of nuclear power plants: Contrary to the plans of Economics Minister Robert Habeck, the topic was not on the cabinet’s agenda. A spokeswoman of the Ministry of Economics explained that the departmental coordination on the legal implementation of the operational reserve of the nuclear power plants was still ongoing. In addition, the coalition had not yet been able to agree on how long the Isar 2 and Neckarwestheim 2 reactors should remain on the grid. tagesschau.de

Bitcoin mining is climate sin: The largest cryptocurrency Bitcoin still uses the climate-damaging „proof of work“ method, although the second largest cryptocurrency Ethereum, recently updated to the much more energy-saving „proof of stake“ method.  The mining of digital coins measured by the market price is about as climate-damaging as the extraction and processing of crude oil. According to the study, the climate damage caused by Bitcoins from 2016 to 2021 amounted to an average of 35 per cent of the market value – in comparison, the mining of gold is at four per cent. Cambridge University estimates that about 61 per cent of the electricity used to mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin comes from non-renewable energy sources. The global Bitcoin climate damage in the study period 2016 to 2021 is estimated at a total of 12 billion US dollars. n-tv.de

BOOK TIP OF THE WEEK:

Das Monopol im 21. Jahrhundert

Gazprom, Google, Blackrock, USA, China and Russia: corporations and states with excessive market power intervene deeply in our lives. Monopolism, with its domination over raw materials and capital, energy, food and data, threatens to eliminate competition. The consequences are less innovation, higher prices, but above all economic and political dependencies. Our prosperity, even our freedom, is in danger, as our dependence on Russian gas dramatically demonstrates. In his up-to-the-minute, brilliantly researched and vividly illustrated book, Hans-Jürgen Jakobs describes this dangerous megatrend: he analyses the causes, sheds light on the future markets and their players, and gives an outlook on what we have to prepare for economically and politically. penguinrandomhouse.com

Warning: The federal government invests too little in future projects. spiegel.de
Trendy stoves: A stinking winter is looming. spektrum.de
Avoiding electronic waste: EU clears the way for a standardised computer plug. focus.de
Greenwashing: CocaCola sponsors climate conference. die presse.com
Beech: Are stressed because of the heat. abendblatt.de
Salts and algae: Cause of fish deaths in the Oder. wissenschaft.de
Conflicts of interest: Areas are designated for onshore and offshore wind power, even in places that seem particularly worthy of protection. heise.de
IKEA: Introduces reusable system for food. wuv.de
Approved: German billion subsidies for low-CO2 steel. zeit.de
Netherlands: New compromise proposal on. Nitrogen issue between farmers and government. sueddeutsche.de

The seventeeen goals magazine tells inspiring stories about how people move the world and shows how everyone can make a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

PODCAST OF THE WEEK:

How climate-friendly is „green“ investing?

Financial investors have a reputation for focusing primarily on returns without regard to losses and ethical principles. Nevertheless, so-called „green“ funds have been springing up like mushrooms for some time now, and companies are presenting themselves as sustainable as possible. Not because philanthropism has broken out on the financial markets. But because politicians, especially the EU Commission with the Green Deal, have made it clear: We are serious about achieving the Paris climate goals. Christian Klein is convinced of this. He is a professor of sustainable finance at the University of Kassel. In the podcast, he explains why it is not the task of the financial markets to save the world, but why they are crucial for the transformation of the economy towards climate and environmental protection. tagesspiegel.de

COMMENT OF THE WEEK:

Man is a displacement artist

by Stephan Vallata

The truth is: there are more reasons for giving up meat than against it. Out of respect for life itself. To avoid animal suffering during rearing, keeping and slaughter. As a contribution to climate and environmental protection, because industrial factory farming requires an enormously high use of resources. According to Greenpeace, 13.3 kilograms of CO₂ are released per kilogram of beef. The same amount of mixed bread causes 0.75 kilograms of CO₂ , apples 0.5 kilograms, and tomatoes 0.2 kilograms of CO₂ . So the more meat we „produce“, the faster global warming progresses. Health motives can also play a role. We should not and must not close our eyes to this. rp-online.de

MOBILITY:

Digitalisation is turning mobility into one big research laboratory: company cars were once the norm, mobility budgets are on the rise. This is one of many clear signs of the cultural and technological change in mobility, which also demands a rethink from engineers. Digital networking opens up almost endless possibilities. vdi-nachrichten.de

Growth in the passenger car market is deceptive: German carmakers report rising sales. But the figures are deceptive. Now that the material and delivery problems have largely ended, the vehicles ordered some time ago are finally being delivered, experts say. New orders, on the other hand, are rather sparse. n-tv.de

Climate-neutral shipping: DHL private customers pay extra.  For more sustainability in parcel shipping, DHL is now offering a new service for a fee. logistik-watchblog.de
Maersk orders more container ships with methanol propulsion: The Danish shipping company wants to be climate-neutral by 2040. The methanol-powered ships are to help save millions of tonnes of CO2 annually. sueddeutsche.de

Preventing truck standstill: Road haulage secures Adblue supply. n-tv.de

100,000 electric cars- Large order for e-cars to China: Chinese carmakers are currently not very common on the German car market. But that is about to change. The Chinese market leader BYD has received a large order from Germany for its e-cars. Together with the car rental company Sixt, BYD now wants to conquer the German market. Sixt has already ordered several thousand vehicles, which BYD plans to deliver by the end of the year. Sixt plans to buy more than 100,000 e-cars from BYD by 2028. efahrer.chip.de

Noise protection structures with additional benefits:  Noise protection structures along German motorways and railway tracks could be equipped with photovoltaic modules and thus save up to one million tonnes of CO₂ annually. This potential was revealed by an analysis carried out by the German Meteorological Service (DWD) together with the Federal Railway Authority (EBA) and the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). „A total of around 1,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity could be generated annually,“ says Frank Kaspar, coordinator of the „Renewable Energies“ topic area at the DWD. This would enable around 450,000 households to cover their annual electricity consumption CO2-free. spiegel.de

HYDROGEN:

Hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas: Plans for a European hydrogen network are gaining momentum due to the war in Ukraine and the rise in natural gas prices. And the European Commission also associates hydrogen with the hope of replacing natural gas, coal and oil in industry and the transport sector. The Commission wants up to 20 million tonnes of hydrogen to be transported in the EU in 2030. Therefore, the expansion of the infrastructure must now be accelerated. tagesschau.de

H2 in mobility: The Swiss company „H2Energy“ has been demonstrating since 2020 how the conversion to green hydrogen can succeed without a funding programme and without government subsidies. It is supported by the Hydrogen Promotion Association of Switzerland, an interest group of more than 20 companies – from filling station operators to logistics companies – that are actually competitors, but are working together on one big goal: „to stop climate change and decarbonise mobility.“ zdf.de

Chemical energy storage: Chemical energy storage is considered a key technology of the energy transition. The starting point here is green hydrogen, which is modified in various ways to make it compatible with the existing infrastructure. ingenieur.de

Hydrogen in Wilhelmshaven: Wilhelmshaven is to be the site of the Federal Republic’s new energy miracle. Politicians are raving about it in the election campaign. The only problem is that so far not much is happening. zeit.de

Take Hoechst, for example: hydrogen will be available sooner than many believe, says Joachim Kreysing, Managing Director of the industrial park operator Infraserv Höchst. He also believes that hydrogen will be affordable in the future. faz.net

Super-cheap: Microbes produce hydrogen in depleted oil wells: A company from the US state of Texas has genetically modified microbes so that they eat oil and excrete hydrogen (and carbon dioxide). They even do this very effectively. t3n.de

LAST WEEK IN THE BUNDESTAG:

Government rejects exceptions to CO2 pricing: The German government has set itself the goal of putting a price on every tonne of CO2 emitted. Therefore, all fossil fuel emissions are to be given a CO2 price. This already applies to the heat and transport sectors. From 2023 it is also to apply to the fuels coal and waste. In its statement on the corresponding draft of the Federal Government for a second law amending the Fuel Emissions Trading Act (20/3438), the Bundesrat demanded that such plants whose main purpose is the incineration of hazardous waste be exempted. The Federal Government rejects this. In its counter-statement (20/3819) submitted as information, it states in justification: „Emissions from hazardous waste incineration plants are part of the national emissions budget, which is to be reduced in order to meet national climate protection obligations under the European Climate Change Regulation.“ The Fuel Emissions Trading Act (BEHG) is a key instrument for achieving this goal, he said. And: „Carbon dioxide emissions from hazardous waste incineration plants burden the German emissions budget in the same way as emissions from other waste incineration plants; consequently, reductions not achieved in this area would have to be compensated by the Federal Republic of Germany by purchasing corresponding quantities of emission allocations from other Member States.“ It is therefore logical that all waste incineration plants, including hazardous waste incineration, are included in the CO2 pricing.

Storage of restituted Benin bronzes in Nigeria: The Federal Government has no influence on Nigeria’s decisions on where the Benin bronzes restituted from Germany will be stored in the future. In its answer (20/3555) to a minor question by the AfD parliamentary group (20/3254), the government writes that decisions on the use and protection of the bronzes after they have been returned lie with the Nigerian side. In the „Joint Declaration“ of 1 July 2022, both sides confirmed their intention to „contribute to the universal role of the Benin bronzes“ and to make them „accessible to the general public and […] research“. The federal government also has no influence on the planning and conception of the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA). The curation of future exhibitions at the EMOWAA, which is currently being planned, is a matter for the Nigerian side.

Energy consumption of ICT infrastructures in Germany: A report (20/3650) by the Office of Technology Assessment deals with the energy consumption of ICT infrastructures in Germany. The core of the report is an analysis of the energy consumption of these infrastructures. Nowadays, more and more data is processed in data centres and terminals and distributed via telecommunication networks. Therefore, ICT energy consumption is already significant for the national economy. In addition to the benefits of digitisation, it is important not to lose sight of the negative environmental impacts of digital infrastructure, such as high resource and energy consumption.

LITERALLY

Unfortunately, capitalism has not only produced growth and prosperity, but stupidly needs growth to be stable. But in a finite world, we cannot grow infinitely. We are reaching absolute limits. Raw materials are becoming scarce, the environment is being destroyed. That is why we need a new economic system: we need green shrinking.

Ulrike Herrmann, economics correspondent for the daily newspaper „taz“, degrowth describes a goal, a vision, namely an ecological circular economy where people only consume what they can recycle. We share the washing machine with our neighbours, we only buy long-lasting products, regional and seasonal. But the question is how we can get there without millions of people becoming unemployed and afraid because they have no prospects, no income. Then there would be a danger, as we know from German and Austrian history, that people would elect a National Socialist dictator who would promise them security and leadership. kurier.at

We need to recognise over-abundance as a social problem and talk about sensible taxes to distribute money more fairly and democratically in society.

Marlene Engelhorn, heiress of millions, said that in Germany alone, where about 400 billion euros are inherited every year, only two percent actually end up with the tax authorities. That is absurdly little! In addition, the super-rich would be massively favoured. For example, an heir to 30 flats would pay inheritance tax – but an heir to 300 flats would not, because the whole thing would then be considered a business. Excuse me, but: First of all, you don’t need 30 or 300 flats. There is no urgent human need for them. The tax policy, however, would massively increase the inequalities. This is a structural problem. This had to be discussed. Democratically legitimised decisions are needed. Politicians must finally do their homework. zdf.de

AFRICA:

Booming film industry in Africa: Black heroine instead of white saviour. The film industry is booming in many African countries, and Netflix has more and more productions „made in Africa“ in its programme. High-quality series and films tell stories from everyday life – and break away from Western clichés. spiegel.de

Solar power gets a boost: The demand for renewable energy in Africa is huge. Solar power in particular is climate-neutral, the investment costs are relatively low and there are almost ideal conditions for photovoltaics, especially in the north and south of the continent. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 60 percent of the world’s premium areas are located on the continent. However, so far only one percent of the world’s installed capacity is located in Africa. This is likely to change soon: Marc Howard of the British consultancy Africa Energy expects the continent’s current output to triple by 2025. dw.com

We are at a crossroads in history: Africa can and must play a leading role in renewable energy: Several African leaders left the UN General Assembly last month disappointed after their calls for action on the climate crisis were overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. One of them was Kenya’s new president, William Ruto, who writes here why priorities must change. theguardian.com

Coal phase-out in South Africa is supported: In South Africa, 85 percent of electricity is generated from coal. 90,000 people are also employed in the South African coal industry. The structural change initiated by the government in Pretoria is therefore committed to the energy transition and the preservation of jobs.  At the World Climate Conference in Glasgow in November 2021, the German government, together with the USA, Great Britain, France and the EU, agreed on a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with South Africa, which aims to prevent the emission of up to 1.5 gigatonnes of CO2 in the coming years. fair-economics.de

Ethiopia: Tigray rebels agree to peace talks. dw.com
Burkina Faso: Demonstrators attack French embassy after coup. zeit.de
Gambia: Indian cough syrup allegedly killed 66 children. faz.net
Kenya: The East African state is to become greener. But why tediously dig holes for seedlings when there is an easier solution? Throwing seedballs, for example – it’s worth a try. faz.net

Lesotho: A recently formed party led by a multi-millionaire diamond magnate appeared to win Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Lesotho as it won a simple majority, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission. By Sunday afternoon, the results of the 7 October election were available for 49 of the 80 constituencies. The Revolution for Prosperity Party (RFP), founded by Sam Matekane in March, had won 41 seats, the minimum required for a simple majority. reuters.com

MORE KNOWLEDGE:

Why mangrove reforestation is so important: For a long time, mangrove forests were dismissed merely as swampy wastelands. Today, scientists, urban and coastal planners and residents appreciate them for the remarkably diverse and important ecosystems they are. Mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs act as a unified system that keeps coastal areas intact. Mangroves provide an important habitat for thousands of species. They also stabilise the coasts, prevent erosion and protect the land – and the people who live there – from waves and storms. But they are threatened in many places. fair-economics.de

How a Berlin woman wants to revolutionise agriculture with the app Klim: Nina Mannheimer was not born into agriculture. She grew up in Munich, studied political science in London and has lived in Berlin for four years. Two years ago, she and two partners founded the start-up Klim, which aims to help farmers work in a climate-positive way. In concrete terms, this means supporting farmers on their way to regenerative agriculture in which CO2 is actively stored in the soil. This promotes both soil health and yield security. tagesspiegel.de

How to dismantle a nuclear power plant:  From 2023, dismantling is scheduled to begin at 30 nuclear power plants, with some already in the process of being dismantled. Even though the newer nuclear power plants take less time and cost less and should produce less waste, quite a bit is coming out of the 30 reactors in Germany that are in various stages of decommissioning. Several plants in Europe are also due soon. The total of 183 nuclear power plants (as of 2019) in Europe are on average 35 years old.You can’t just shut down a nuclear power plant – radioactivity sticks to surfaces, sits in cracks and crevices and even in the material itself. „Very carefully,“ says Jörg Meyer, „you tear down a nuclear power plant. spektrum.de

Climate change: Can make people mentally ill. rnd.de
Climate protest: Climate activists in Australia have pasted themselves to the painting „Massacre in Korea“. tagesspiegel.de
Circular economy: DHL Supply Chain launches new service logistics solution to reduce and recycle old electrical appliances. dpdhl.com

THE LAST:

Solar system on the roof must not dazzle neighbours:

Anyone installing a solar system on a roof should ensure that the orientation of the panels is set so that the reflected rays do not dazzle neighbours. This is what the Regional Court in Frankenthal ruled in favour of neighbours who were blinded by the sun’s rays in the garden and on the terrace and were even affected by them in parts inside the house. The court ruled that this could not be expected of the neighbours and pointed out that there are special modules for solar systems whose surfaces reflect the light less strongly. spiegel.de

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