Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear power plants stemmed from decades of anti-nuclear sentiment, driven by public controversy and major accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.

The anti-nuclear movement played a major role in shaping political platforms and the formation of the Green Party.

After Fukushima in 2011, Chancellor Merkel accelerated a phase-out plan already two decades in the making, closing the country’s final three plants in 2023 .

The phase-out was part of the Energiewende, an ambitious plan to replace nuclear and coal with renewables, but Germany had to increase its reliance on coal and imports of Russian gas to maintain grid stability, which hampered carbon reduction and raised energy security concerns .

The exit from nuclear energy led to higher electricity costs, occasional grid instability, and even a decline in industrial production, with some energy-intensive factories relocating abroad.

Carbon emissions risked increasing due to greater reliance on coal and gas .

The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war further aggravated the situation, since Germany lost access to much of its cheap Russian gas.

As prices soared and supply stability was threatened, the government briefly delayed the final shutdowns, scrambled to build LNG terminals, and looked for new suppliers, but could not fully replace Russian imports quickly .

Despite government intransigence, public opinion shifted: in 2022, 67% of Germans favored at least a five-year extension of nuclear plants, and some political parties, businesses, and a growing proportion of the public advocated reconsidering the phase-out, citing climate, energy security, and economic impacts .

Internationally, Germany stands apart as other countries expand nuclear to address climate and security goals, while Germany’s policy remains debated at home and abroad .

Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear power plants stemmed from decades of anti-nuclear sentiment, driven by public controversy and major accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Title:

Content: Chernobyl and the war: how the events in Ukraine prompted Germany to abandon nuclear energy
Greenpeace activist at a protest against nuclear power in Berlin, Germany.
Photo by REUTERS / Nadja Wohlleben
The end of the atomic age.
This weekend, Germany, as promised, shut down its last nuclear power plants.
On Sunday night, the Germans decommissioned three stations: Izar 2 in Bavaria, Necarwesteim-2 in Baden-Württemberg and Emsland in Lower Saxony.
Nuclear power plants, which have recently produced about 5% of the country ’ s electricity, have been shut down as part of the so-called “energy transition. ”
Its goal is to completely switch to green energy by 2035, that is, to produce electricity from renewable sources.
Read also:
The decision to finally abandon the peaceful atom was given to the German authorities not easy.
A week ago, in political Berlin, there were calls to postpone the closure of the reactors for at least a few months, so as not to jeopardize the security of energy supply in the country.
Moreover, the temporary continuation of the work of the nuclear power plant of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was requested by both the opposition Christian Democrats and the liberals included in the ruling coalition.
Most Germans did not support the closure of the nuclear power plant.
According to sociologists, about 60% of the country ’ s residents called the government ’ s decision to abandon the peaceful atom wrong.
The reason is obvious: people are afraid of further increases in electricity prices, which have literally exploded.
Farewell to the atom: the Ukrainian factor
In fact, the decision to close all German nuclear power plants was made in 2011 by the government of Angela Merkel after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima.
But the discussion about the abandonment of nuclear power began much earlier — in 1986, after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The accident sparked widespread protests against the use of the peaceful atom, and after Chernobyl, the now ruling Social Democratic Party announced that it would support the closure of all German nuclear power plants and enshrined this position in its political program.
Events in Ukraine also affected the timing of the closure of the nuclear power plant.
Germany planned to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022.
However, after a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, the operation of the reactors was decided to extend for several more months.
Germany, which took the course of abandoning all Russian energy resources, was afraid of problems with energy supply.
Bavarian exception: will one of the richest lands in Germany be allowed to restart nuclear power plants
In the final rejection of the peaceful atom, it seems, not all German politicians believe.
At least regional.
The prime minister of Bavaria - one of the richest German states - Markus Seder has already said that he will ask the federal government to reconsider its decision.
And this is a few hours after the closing of the last nuclear power plant!
Seder wants the Bavarians to make an exception – allowed them to continue to operate the nuclear power plant “Izar-2 ”, located on the territory of the earth.
Like, now, in times of energy crisis, to abandon nuclear energy is not only risky, but also stupid.
That can be done a little later.
"Bavaria demands that the federal government take responsibility for the continued operation of nuclear power.
Until the crisis is over and the country has switched to renewable energy, we must use all forms of energy before the end of the decade.
Anyone who, like the ruling coalition, hopes that the next winter will be as mild as the previous one, acts extremely naive and careless for an industrial country like Germany, ” said Seder.
And he promised that in the case of a positive decision from Berlin, Bavaria is ready to take responsibility for the operation of the nuclear power plant.
The Bavarian prime minister thought about other lands.
It requires the government to develop and submit a plan for the reactivation of disconnected nuclear power plants.
If necessary, nuclear power plants will be able to resume their work quickly.
Official Berlin has already responded to the calls of the Bavarian Prime Minister – the Minister for Environmental Protection advised Zeder not to engage in political populism.
Non-peaceful atom: Germany wants sanctions against Russian nuclear energy
On the day of the closure of their own nuclear power plants, the Germans also mentioned the nuclear energy of the aggressor country of Russia.
Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy of Germany Robert Gabeck proposed to impose sanctions against the nuclear industry of the Russian Federation.
At the EU level.
For example, to include penalties in the next, already eleventh, sanctions package, the development and coordination of which the Europeans will begin in the near future.
“We have seen that Russia purposefully uses dependence in the energy sector for pressure.
Therefore, the federal government called on the European Commission to impose sanctions on the civilian nuclear sector.
Nuclear technology is an extremely sensitive area, and Russia can no longer be perceived as a reliable partner here, ” Gabek said.
What sanctions are we talking about – the politician did not specify.
However, in early April, after a visit to Ukraine, he proposed to impose sanctions against states that buy uranium from Russia for their nuclear power plants.
Not immediately, but after the transition.
“It is important to start and not be afraid of decisive actions in this area, ” Gabek explained.
The EU ’ s dependence on Russia ’ s nuclear sector is really serious.
About 20% of the uranium for their nuclear power plants EU countries receive from Russia.
Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic are completely dependent on these supplies, that is, 100%.
On the sale of uranium in the European Union, Russia earns 450 million euros a year.
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The anti-nuclear movement played a major role in shaping political platforms and the formation of the Green Party.

Title:

Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
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Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

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After Fukushima in 2011, Chancellor Merkel accelerated a phase-out plan already two decades in the making, closing the country’s final three plants in 2023 .

Title:

Content: According to EurActiv on July 20, in response to the gas shortage, the EU Commission has proposed a natural gas conservation plan, which will be careful to avoid blaming any EU country when it comes to delaying the “phase-out ” of nuclear power plants, a particularly sensitive issue for Germany.
Germany ’ s nuclear program was first planned in the early 2000s, when the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Green Party coalition decided to phase out nuclear power.
Japan ’ s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led then-pro-nuclear Prime Minister Angela Merkel, who was pushing for the withdrawal of plans to phase out nuclear power, to end nuclear power under pressure and plan to shut down all nuclear plants by 2022.
However, in early July, Thierry Breton, the European Union ’ s executive member for internal markets, said bluntly: “It ’ s important that the three German nuclear plants still in operation continue to operate for a while. ” Energy comes with a problem.
Even Elon Musk, CEO of US electric car maker Tesla, tweeted: “They should keep running. ”
“If the government wants, we can keep the NPP Isar 2 nuclear power plant running longer than the end of the year, ” says plant operator Preussen Electra. In addition, previous reports by safety certification body TÜV Süd indicate that the plant ’ s continued operation does not pose a safety risk.
A poll of Germans conducted by ARD on 24 June showed that 61% of Germans would support the extension of nuclear power plant operations.
But Sascha Müller-Kraenner, director of the German environmental NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), said in a statement on July 19.
“If the duration of the nuclear power plant exceeds December 31, 2022, we will prevent this from happening through the courts if necessary. ”
Under pressure: the push to keep German nuclear plants running
# Germany # Nuclear Power Plant # Nuclear Waste # Denuclearization # Natural Gas

The phase-out was part of the Energiewende, an ambitious plan to replace nuclear and coal with renewables, but Germany had to increase its reliance on coal and imports of Russian gas to maintain grid stability, which hampered carbon reduction and raised energy security concerns .

Title:

Content: Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power.

"The nuclear phaseout makes our country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste," said Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke.

"It is now essential to ... advance the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste as well as permanent solutions for low- and medium-level radioactive waste," the environment ministry said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeded up the phaseout following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan.

Friday's shutdown affects power plants in Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Gundremmingen C in Bavaria.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg — will be closed by the end of 2022 "at the latest," the environment ministry said.

"Since 2011, Germany has been drawing a line under a highly problematic technology in an orderly, reliable process," Lemke said.

Nuclear accounts for about 10 percent of Germany's electricity production. The shutdown has sparked criticism as Germany will have to dramatically ramp up renewable energy and has also increased its reliance on highly polluting coal-fired power.

"Security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed," said Robert Habeck, federal climate and economy minister. He added that reliable and "sustainably generated electricity" is a "central requirement for aligning our economy and industry toward climate neutrality."

That stance puts Berlin at loggerheads with France, where nuclear is the largest element of its energy mix (and also helps supply Germany).

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in September that existing nuclear plants, which provide low-carbon electricity essential to the green transition, can be kept running "for two, five, 10 years," adding: "Why deprive ourselves of this production capacity?"

France is planning to scale down the share of nuclear in its electricity mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, but President Emmanuel Macron said in November that France "will restart the construction of nuclear reactors" while "continuing to develop renewable energies."

Macron also said France will invest €1 billion into research and development, notably into small modular reactors.

Belgium recently decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2025, but plans to invest €100 million in new generation nuclear reactors and research.

More from ... Louise Guillot

The exit from nuclear energy led to higher electricity costs, occasional grid instability, and even a decline in industrial production, with some energy-intensive factories relocating abroad.

Title:

Content: Despite his opponents...
Europe 'chooses' nuclear power to pass harsh winter
Europeans suffering from a severe energy crisis will set a date with a historic test this winter, with the first attack of the cold, in a way that cannot be trusted.
The old continent has experienced an unusual warmth in recent weeks, which slightly eased the pressure on its decision-makers, but it soon found itself faced with the consequences of a drought crisis like no other in Europe in 500 years.
The European Commission said in its latest report that it was the worst drought in five centuries, warning of the risks and major environmental losses caused by it.
The most prominent of these losses affected the production of nuclear energy, the strength of electricity in Europe today, and the alternative solution sought by some countries in light of the energy crisis with Russia.
Although European nuclear power has been the biggest sponsor of the rupture in German-French relations, it is now seen as a solution to the electricity crisis.
New countries are also seeking accreditation, such as Poland, which two days ago opted for a US offer to build its first nuclear power plant.
At the same time, the countries that possess this energy are seeking to increase and strengthen their reactors, undeterred by the opposition of peoples and voices calling for renewable energy.
Germany and the return to nuclear
In Germany, work has begun on two nuclear reactors that were due to be shut down by the end of this year, in line with the country ’ s plan to graduate from nuclear power.
The project will cost around 100 million euros and will be operational after December.
This comes at a time when the nuclear power plant "Isar 2" plans to carry out maintenance at a cost of about 50 million euros, and the preparatory work at the nuclear plant "Neckaroisthaim-2" will cost a similar amount.
The shutdown of nuclear power plants was one of the most prominent demands of the German people in recent demonstrations in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Stuttgart, Dresden and Frankfurt, especially supporters of the Green Party and supporters of the transition to green energy.
Kenzbendit, 29, said: “We Greens have been fighting nuclear power in Germany for decades, in the streets and now in the government.
Kensbendit told Erm News: "We do not know how the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Environment was deceived and delayed for months in order to prevent the extension of German nuclear power plants."
The young man who participated in the recent demonstrations added that "energy policy is not really for politicians, because they think and work to implement their political agendas, but energy policy is always long-term, and granting the tasks of the Environmental Self-Awareness Squad to the Ministry of Economy is illogical.
"The extension of the work at the nuclear power plant is incredible, disregarding and insulting the demands of the people, and will make Germany" ridiculous "all over the world," he said.
Paris turns its back on the environment
France is the world ’ s largest producer of nuclear energy, generating 70 percent of its electricity from 56 nuclear reactors and exporting to neighboring countries.
Nuclear reactors in France have suffered and half of them have been shut down due to malfunctions or drought, causing electrical output to fall to its lowest level in 30 years, and exports to fall by almost half, according to the latest government reports.
This led the French administration to increase the power of nuclear reactors and change the plan to gradually abandon nuclear reactors in favor of renewable sources such as the sun and wind.
The French move, analysts predict, will meet public anger and opposition from countries around the world seeking to combat climate change and calling for nuclear power to be replaced by other sources, in addition to the heavy financial burden on the French government.
It is well known that nuclear power is not practical in the economic sense, otherwise France would not need to nationalize EDF to be able to operate the reactors with government support.
Drought disrupts nuclear power
The drought crisis will significantly limit this planned expansion, according to data from nuclear reactor operators, because nuclear plants use large amounts of fresh water from rivers and lakes for cooling, and reduced river flows as a result of drought will reduce electricity generation at nuclear power plants.
According to French energy advisor Bernard Labonch, nuclear power is not only about the best way to generate electricity, but it is a historical legacy in France that is inextricably linked to nationalism, and it is taboo for any French citizen to advocate against nuclear power.
"If you want to get a job as an engineer or researcher in France you have to be a proponent of nuclear energy, so there are very few who openly criticize it," he said.
Thus, all indications are that nuclear energy will remain in France for decades to come, despite widespread public opposition and environmental warnings about the dangers posed by the water that nuclear power plants dump into rivers after they have used it for cooling, and the dangers it poses to ecosystems, fish and aquatic plants.
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Carbon emissions risked increasing due to greater reliance on coal and gas .

Title:

Content: News of Hong Kong
Giving up nuclear energy is easy.
At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, more than 20 countries advocated tripling nuclear power to current levels in order to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Interestingly, some of these countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Japan and South Korea, which previously supported reducing their reliance on nuclear energy, have now changed their positions.
Remembering the 2011 earthquake in Japan, which caused a serious accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the people of all countries to reflect on the drawbacks of nuclear power development, and there was an unprecedented anti-nuclear wave everywhere.
Many environmental groups and idealists have called on governments to abandon nuclear weapons, so that the earth will have a living environment free of nuclear pollution.
However, the development of the past decade or so has proved that this demand is impossible. After all, nuclear energy accounts for a large proportion of national electricity, and the suspension of operation will cause major losses to the economies of countries that cannot produce their own energy.
Denuclearization also raises another problem, which is to increase the pollution of the earth.
As we all know, the main driving force of economic development is electricity, and power generation methods are firepower, hydropower and nuclear energy.
Fuels such as oil and coal emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, damaging the environment.
By contrast, nuclear power generates very little carbon dioxide and costs less.
Once countries get rid of nuclear weapons and become more dependent on oil or coal, it is even less environmentally friendly.
Science and reality show that because there is currently no optimal alternative to nuclear power, it is difficult to give up nuclear power.
As a responsible government, we can only continue to develop nuclear energy to meet the country ’ s growing energy needs.
Therefore, the mainstream practice of all countries in the world is to actively accept nuclear power, for example, Japan has abolished the life limit of nuclear power plants, and decided to maximize the use of nuclear power plants to more than 60 years.
The German government, which has insisted on denuclearization, earlier admitted that its energy policy was a failure.
Idealists are often lauded for their pursuit of truth, but some of the ideas they promote are also unrealistic.
In recent years, governments have stopped advocating a ban on the development of nuclear power, which just reveals the drawbacks of idealism.
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The outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war further aggravated the situation, since Germany lost access to much of its cheap Russian gas.

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Content: Alert
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How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
【 By Fu Guanqi 】
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Just after Christmas, for many Dodd families, the most wanted Christmas gift may be a heat pump to make the whole family better through the winter.
Unlike the tens of millions of domestic heating systems in Germany that still use natural gas or oil as fuel, heat pumps are powered by electricity, which can be seen as "reverse air conditioning", which has a higher thermal conversion efficiency and symbolizes energy access at a lower price.
The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.
The past dependence on Russia to import a large amount of cheap energy can not be returned, and the international carbon pricing mechanism is increasingly complete, which has led Germany to realize that only green energy is the way to reduce energy prices again.
The "Vision" team traveled to Germany, in-depth interviews and observed that the consensus that permeates German society today is: "There is not much time for the energy transition, and we must accelerate progress."
German Green Party MP Till Steffen, who visited Taiwan in 2022, told Visionary that "this' energy crisis' has accelerated the 'energy transition' and become a priority for the government."
German Economy Accelerates Greening, Renewable Energy Becomes National Security Foundation
This is not just a matter of paper. At the end of 2022, Germany inaugurated the country ’ s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Germany decided last spring to build it, and it could be completed in a few months. “This is super fast for Germany, ” Steffen said.“ We need to scale up renewable energy at the same rate. ”
If you make decisions at the slow pace of your past habits, you won ’ t be able to achieve the goals you set. ”
In the past, far less ambitious than the Green Party ’ s liberal finance minister, Christian Lindner, has also designated renewable energy as “free energy ”, emphasizing its function to enhance Germany ’ s energy security and economic independence.
In this context, the two pillars of the energy transition, "switching to renewable energy" and "improving energy efficiency", have also become the top priorities of enterprises in the country.
Even the German machine tool manufacturer MAG, a pioneer of Industry 4.0, has re-examined energy conservation and is preparing to install solar panels on its plant.
“Many investment plans are being reevaluated because of higher energy prices, ” explains Sebastian Schoning, MAG ’ s head of Europe & Americas.“ Many investments that were previously unprofitable are now justified. ”
Solar panels that can be used for their own use and can be sold for electricity have been greatly shortened, and with tax incentives, large and small businesses and families have been selling out; installation technicians are so hot that waiting in line has become a new normal in the last few months.
Yen Chien-ho, general manager of the German branch of FSP, which has been operating solar energy storage business for more than six years from Taiwan, revealed that the green energy product line is already the main revenue of the company, and it is estimated that by 2023, solar related products can grow by 50%.
Quanhan also saw the business opportunities of green energy vehicles in Europe and decided to set up a new R & D center in Germany to attack customized charging devices.
Another Taiwanese company that has been working in Germany for ten years, Servo Press Co., Ltd. is also favored by European customers due to the fact that the product consumes about 50% less power than traditional presses, and is expected to double its business performance in 2023.
Germany has been driving the energy transition for decades. The driving force of this energy crisis is mainly reflected in the change of mentality and the re-calculation of business interests.
First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.
However, when energy is no longer so readily available, it has also greatly changed the German society's view of energy: in the past, everyone saw renewable energy as a threat to the stability of electricity supply, and now it is an important basis for protecting national security.
Second, in the eyes of enterprises, green energy has become the only energy source that can maintain long-term competitiveness.
"We all know that there is no future for fossil fuels," said Markus Rosenthal, director of government relations at the German Association for Energy Storage Systems. He cited the withdrawal of Allianz, Germany 's largest insurance company, and the active investment of major banks in decarbonization technology as examples. The effect of greening the German economy is greater than anyone else. "
Many may have heard of Germany ’ s Energiewende vision after the Fukushima disaster.
But such a concept has taken root in Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement since the 1970s.
Since then, the Green Party movement has developed with the greatest political influence in the world.
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 1: Lack of work, insufficient capacity of Northern Power South
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which came into force in 2000, made Germany the first major economy to promote renewable energy.
Over the next 20 years, the proportion of renewable energy supply has grown significantly from 6% to 46%, and this remarkable achievement has become an international model case for promoting energy transformation.
However, the model of the period of peace seems to be unable to withstand the test of war, and Germany still fell into the dilemma of energy crisis in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine and the weaponization of energy are certainly uncontrollable factors.
But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.
“We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and the development of renewable energy over the past few years has been too slow, ” said Malte Kuper, energy and climate policy researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (IW).“ We must accelerate the correction of the structural errors of energy policy over the past decade. ”
Wilhelm Kiewitt, Director of Energy Economics at 50Hertz, a German power grid company, said: “We are vigorously promoting the construction of renewable energy, but we have not updated the grid infrastructure and have not ensured that the design of the electricity market is compatible.
As a result, the energy transition is not doing well. ”
Wind power located on the northern coast of Germany has so far been difficult to reach the industrial heartland of the south because the government has spent too much time coordinating with the residents of the south to accept high-voltage cables cutting through their beautiful landscapes.
The lack of capacity of Northern Power South has become a key missing piece in the German energy puzzle.
In addition, the political lobbying power of fossil fuel companies and strict regulations on onshore wind power have also slowed down the pace of transformation in Germany.
A few months ago, there was a demolition of nearby windmills to expand coal mines in North Wales. Although the efficiency of these windmills was low and they were expected to be rebuilt and upgraded, environmentalists criticized this as a retrograde policy in the midst of the energy crisis.
But the lack of urgency may be the key factor in Germany ’ s gradual deviation from its goal.
According to the German government ’ s 2021 forecast, all sectors, from energy, industry and agriculture, will not be able to meet the 2030 climate goals on the basis of current carbon reduction actions.
In terms of new technology, even if Germany began hydrogen energy research more than 30 years ago, it has not been able to enter the expansion.
Thomas Hilig, founder of THEnergy in Germany and a hydrogen energy consultant, pointed out that “we have studied hydrogen energy thoroughly and want to know everything. ”
But it may be possible to start expanding sooner.
Indeed, now is the time to launch the app. ”
The impact of high energy prices and increasingly extreme weather have become a reality in Germany, forcing the country, accustomed to sound and prudent action, to admit its mistakes and shortcomings and accelerate the progress of the energy transition.
The question is, is it in time?
Opening a recent German newspaper will find that a crisis is not necessarily a turning point.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99% of the total number of German enterprises, are struggling, and many companies may not be able to survive.
A survey of companies released by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in the summer of 2022 shows that due to high energy prices, 1 / 4 of enterprises have completed the deployment of production reduction, 1 / 4 have reduced the scale of operations, and the remaining half have not yet begun to act, and are still thinking about the corresponding steps.
At present, the German government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan, but Asha Maria Sharma, deputy director of digital services at the Foreign Trade and Investment Agency, believes that financial subsidies are only part of the solution, companies must think about how to use AI, data analysis and other technologies to save energy, in order to remain competitive in the future when energy prices are higher.
However, the resources and financial power of SMEs are not as good as those of multinational enterprises, and it is not easy to face inflation, interest rate hikes, the impact on the dollar exchange rate and energy prices, and to devote more efforts to long-term investment layout.
For example, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread, Alexander Krug, the public relations manager in charge of the Berlin Digital Center for SMEs, observed that about a third of SMEs were suspending or even cancelling strategic digital investments that would bear fruit in the medium to long term.
Moreover, in the global semiconductor shortage, many small and medium-sized enterprises are competing for similar chips with the government-supported renewable energy industry, as well as Germany ’ s powerful automotive industry.
In terms of money and resources, it is difficult to win.
Cooper said that in the long term, the energy crisis can be an accelerator of the energy transition.
But for an industrial powerhouse like Germany, which has a high proportion of energy-intensive industries, there is also a risk that “industry may decline before the green energy transition is complete. ”
Many homes waiting for solar panel technicians to install their doors also reveal another risk: lack of work.
“If you ask a business, what ’ s the biggest question about operations? Almost every time the answer is, ‘ We need people. ’ ”
Especially in the areas of green energy and digital technology, which are crucial to driving transformation, there is a particular lack of technical talent.
Many countries in Europe have a shortage of jobs.
However, in the manufacturing sector, more than 40% of enterprises in Germany are understaffed.
In comparison, France is less than 25%, and Italy and Spain are less than 10%.
Even the director of the German public broadcaster said recently: "We have to recruit people from all over the world... even the German level of the candidates is not so important."
As long as I work hard, I don ’ t worry too much that they can only speak a few words of German. ”
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2: Higher energy costs, the United States proposed a bill to reduce inflation and siphon off international investment
The evolution of the international situation has also made the adverse situation worse.
The European war is still raging, the epidemic is still hazy, and the tensions between the United States and China have caused Germany, formerly the beneficiary of free trade and international supply chains, to reverse the situation and increase the pressure.
In particular, in August 2022, the United States passed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, proposing a simpler and more attractive subsidy specification than the European Union, which is likely to siphon off more international investment at a time when Germany urgently needs to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
Some scholars wonder whether Germany will be able to complete the energy transition that it failed to achieve during a period of relative stability in the face of many challenges.
Only recently did Germany significantly expand public spending to help society weather the epidemic. To date, it has allocated more than 260 billion euros in response to the energy crisis.
This is almost 7% of national GDP, well above the EU average of 83 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Germany is still trying to boost its defense budget to 2% of GDP.
Even if the money is relatively abundant, it is also pressure.
Reinhard Biedermann, a professor in the Department of Global Political Economy at Tamkang University, pointed out that to develop enough renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources requires a lot of investment, manpower and even land, which Germany cannot do at the same time.
“The energy crisis is really an opportunity to expand renewable energy.
But turning the crisis into a turning point is not so simple.
Germany depends not only on imports of fossil fuels, but also on imports of renewable energy.
After the decline of the German solar industry, about 95% of the domestic solar cells are manufactured in China.
Nordex shut down Germany ’ s last wind turbine turnstile plant in June 2022, taking into account costs, causing observers to worry that the wind energy industry may be heading toward a fate similar to that of the solar industry.
Steffen said that due to competition from China, the German solar industry has lost a lot of intellectual and political power, and now is the time to reinvigorate the domestic solar value chain.
“We still have capacity in wind energy, but we can ’ t find a market in our country because Chinese products are cheaper, ” Steffen said.
In some ways, the energy crisis is just beginning.
As the Visionary team rode a high-speed rail at a speed of nearly 300 kilometers across the edge of Germany ’ s beloved forest, they were greeted by rotating fans, solar panels laid on the roof of the building, and high-voltage power towers that transmit electricity over a long distance.
This has gradually become a familiar daily scene in German society.
At this point, it may be seen as an important milestone in the final completion of Germany ’ s energy transition, but it may also be the starting point for the decline of German industry.
Looking back at the challenges of the pandemic, companies in Dodd all agree that agility, flexibility and flexibility are essential skills to survive in the current changing environment.
In particular, German industry contributes more than a quarter of the country ’ s GDP, which is higher than developed countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But strengthening the high-priced “Made in Germany ” brand with performance, quality and stability is threatened by higher energy costs.
Steffen acknowledged that many Dodd companies use cheap Russian energy to produce and then sell their products at high prices to the U.S. and mid-market.
This is similar to the common pattern in Taiwan.
Taiwan 's green energy students > risk assessment first, transformation needs to think about the overall order
Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer of Covestro, observed that energy is already a global issue and resource constraints are becoming the foreseeable future. “Even if you are in Asia, energy prices are still cheap, but price increases are reflected in the supply chain. ”
This advantage is diluted by rising raw material costs, even if Germany considers itself to be of excellent mechanical engineering quality. ”
Even if Germany has only recently begun to cope with the energy crisis, the effectiveness of the policy measures will have to wait for time to prove, and there are still lessons for Taiwan.
First, understand your energy security and independence and conduct a risk assessment.
Leonard believes that encouraging energy conservation by raising energy prices and using this income to invest more in renewable energy is worth considering.
“Explaining to people the higher energy costs they pay will help develop renewable energy and improve energy security. ”
Second, think about the sequence of measures for the energy transition as a whole, and put limited resources in the right place at the right time.
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a former energy transition consultant for Germany ’ s Future Energy Plan, shared that one of Germany ’ s mistakes was to set a good goal and vision before developing policies to be achieved.
A better approach might be to take a practical approach, clarify the quantitative benefits that each policy can bring, and determine that cross-party consensus can be reached to move forward together.
It is also important to continuously monitor the performance of data and to be accountable to all departments.
Hiliger observed that Germany ’ s national hydrogen energy strategy in 2020 shows that officials have learned from the siting of renewable energy and energy transportation.
“Many projects take production and consumption into account as a whole, for example, by making good use of existing construction, refurbishing natural gas pipelines to become hydrogen pipelines, rather than placing electrolytic tanks next to wind power plants. ”
Preparing businesses and citizens to move away from fossil fuels
Finally, it is the continuation of the momentum of social change.
In the past, Germany saw natural gas as a “bridging energy ” to connect fossil fuels with renewable energy; now, losing its main source of natural gas imports, it has had to restart coal plants and lease liquid-gas receiving stations.
After doing so, it may be harder to get rid of them in the future.
Ideally, when the hydrogen energy market matures, Germany can renovate this batch of liquid natural gas receiving stations into hydrogen energy receiving stations.
But the two are different energy sources after all, and the renovation will be another expense.
Whether it can be developed according to the plan is still uncertain.
After the government finalizes the energy subsidy policy, from the beginning of 2023 to April 2024, 80% of the bill will be protected by the price cap, and users will only pay 20% of the current price.
This will change people ’ s interest.
How to make good use of the incentive mechanism to encourage society to continue to promote energy conservation and transformation at the household, business and infrastructure levels is also a big test.
Although Taiwan, which has a higher industrial share than Germany, has yet to personally feel the waves of the European energy crisis, it will be crucial to be as prepared and adapted as possible to the future of higher fossil fuel prices before the price protection umbrella for long-term contracts ends.
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As prices soared and supply stability was threatened, the government briefly delayed the final shutdowns, scrambled to build LNG terminals, and looked for new suppliers, but could not fully replace Russian imports quickly .

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Conflicts of Interest: The Environmental Costs of Modern War and Sanctions

The war in Ukraine is placing significant costs on the environment not only through the destructive effects of modern warfare, but also from the unintended consequences of developing international sanctions on Russia.

The devastating and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only triggered significant loss of life and a massive refugee crisis spilling into Europe, but has also dealt a heavy blow to a silent victim of modern-day military and economic warfare: the environment.

Since February of this year, the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia have collectively induced a steady rise in crude oil prices, disruption to global grain and fertiliser markets, environmental damage, and reactive forced-hand policies to divest from Russian energy sources. Together, these unforeseen effects are catalysing ad hoc policies and coping mechanisms that will continue to stress global markets, strain natural resources, and increase carbon emissions – a cascade of events that collectively counteract the international community’s pursuit of the Paris Climate Accord goals of 2015.

While Russia’s military incursions in Ukraine have contributed to these environmental shocks, sanctions from the US and its allies have played no less a role in fuelling them, raising the inevitable question: how exactly are conventional economic sanctions and modern-day warfare counteracting progress towards international climate goals?

Sanctions’ Impact on the Economy, Agriculture and the Climate

In response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the US and its allies imposed a wave of punitive sanctions on Russia’s economy and financial elite. These sanctions have targeted the country’s central bank, severing several key Russian banks from the powerful SWIFT (the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) messaging platform that facilitates payments for the international import and export of goods; banned the import of Russian goods; and seized key Russian international assets.

The most visible and immediate environmental consequences of sanctions on Russia thus far have been the volatile transformations we have witnessed in global oil markets. Even in recent days, oil prices have surged as discussions continue on a concerted EU embargo on Russian oil.

Crude oil prices began to increase following US President Joe Biden’s decision in March to ban imports of Russian oil and gas. The UK similarly moved to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of this year. While 8% of US oil and refined product imports come from Russia and 6% of the UK’s, Russia last year accounted for roughly 25% of the EU’s oil imports and 40% of its natural gas imports – a significant share that has made it difficult for the region to introduce an all-out ban.

proposed concerted EU ban to phase out dependence on Russian oil by the end of the year is now on the table, and anticipation of this has contributed to the surge in oil prices in recent days. Nevertheless, there remains some apprehension over proceeding with the embargo among some EU member states such as Hungary, which fear a lack of viable alternative energy sources to meet local demands.

US President Joe Biden was elected on promises that he would prioritise climate change, decarbonise the country, and engage diplomatically with Iran to resurrect the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In fact, he re-joined the 2015 Paris Agreement on his first day in office after his predecessor, President Donald Trump, abandoned the landmark climate deal. Nevertheless, sanctions on Russia have pushed inflation to record highs, prompting the Biden administration to attempt to ease inflation by tapping into strategic domestic reserves at home. This has resulted in drillers pumping harder to release millions of barrels of oil to supply increasing demand, and a temporary allowance of the sale of cheaper, higher-emission E15 gasoline this summer. These moves, though opportune, will inevitably contribute to higher emissions in the short term, counteracting the Biden administration’s promise to move the US – one of the world’s top emitters – away from fossil fuels.

As the world’s second largest crude oil supplier and second largest producer of natural gas, pressure on Russia’s energy market means pressure on world energy sources. In addition to crude oil price volatility, natural gas prices rose recently following Ukraine’s move to shut off a major gas pipeline that supplies a third of Russia’s natural gas exports to Western Europe. The Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine declared a ‘force majeure’, citing Russian-backed separatists interfering with the station’s operation and siphoning off gas from areas now under the control of Russian troops. Though gas prices swiftly returned to previous levels again, this incident further illustrates the complexities and instabilities facing the international community as the Russo-Ukrainian conflict continues.

War not only lays waste to economies, countries and populations, but also wreaks havoc on the physical environment – especially in a heavily industrialised country like Ukraine

The timing of these economic shocks and adjustments in oil production coincides, interestingly, with the ongoing deadlock in negotiations involving the revival of the JCPOA. A loosening of these sanctions could also open the supply of Iranian oil to global markets and thereby offset Russia’s decline in output. Tehran, however, seems to be in no rush to resurrect the 2015 nuclear deal, as higher oil prices has given Iranian officials a means to increase revenue in the short term to sustain the country’s already-stressed economy.

Geopolitical crises often expose flaws in long-held domestic and foreign policies, but they also reveal opportunities for rethinking and change. Volatility in Russia’s oil and gas markets has exposed the EU’s heavy dependence of foreign energy sources and demonstrated the importance of achieving domestic energy security. A concerted EU ban on Russian energy in the short term is likely to manifest in heightened carbon emissions and costs for member states, as they will have to scramble for viable alternative sources like coal, which has a greater carbon footprint. In the long term, however, abrupt and accelerated divestments from a reliance on Russian energy will provide an opportunity for currently importing countries to move towards greater energy independence and expedite transitions to cleaner, renewable sources.

Sanctions and their Costs: Iran and Russia

The environmental impacts of sanctions can cause more than just external trade shocks. Our work at Imperial College London’s Centre for Environmental Policy finds that while economic sanctions do not directly impact the environment, their secondary impacts can act as a ‘catalyst’ that compounds existing managerial, environmental and socioeconomic realities to induce difficulties in environmental protection and sustainable development efforts locally. As a form of economic coercion, sanctions often target a country’s central modes of income to weaken the target government. In oil-rich countries like Iran, decades of Western-led economic sanctions have aimed to target and weaken key sectors of the country’s economy that are all crucial for sustainable development – namely the energy, automotive, aviation, shipping and financial sectors.

Escalating sanctions and increased isolation from the international community cast self-sufficiency schemes in a compelling light: a means of defying Western coercion while proving the country’s strength in the light of crippling sanctions. To sustain its diminishing economy, Iran turned inward, overstraining its natural resources in pursuit of accelerated development. Prolonged US sanctions against Iran inadvertently induced a survivalist mentality, hallmarked by unforgiving costs to the environment that will take generations to remedy.

While it is unclear how long the war or sanctions will last, early signs from Russia’s response have mirrored the trajectory of Iran’s in noteworthy ways. Moscow has retaliated against sanctions by banning over 200 commodities in diverse industries such as telecommunications, agriculture and the medical industry until the end of this year. One example is that Russia has advised chemical companies to suspend the export of methanol derivatives, which are essential inputs in applications such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and chemicals. This illustrates that environmental risks induced by transformations in trade due to sanctions can be triggered by both sending and receiving countries.

The Impact of War on the Environment

History reminds us that war not only lays waste to economies, countries and populations, but it also wreaks havoc on the physical environment – especially in a heavily industrialised country like Ukraine. A major ingredient of modern warfare is oil, a fossil fuel that breathes life into the arsenal of conventional militaries and their armaments: tanks, fighter jets, aircraft carriers, submarines, armoured vehicles, and missile systems. These tools of modern warfare lead to high carbon emissions and can physically destroy urban, rural and agricultural infrastructures.

Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and the larger Donbas region in Southeast Ukraine, where the thick of the fighting during Russia’s invasion has occurred, are home to industries like petroleum refineries, chemical plants and radioactive waste repositories that have been attacked. With a steady barrage of attacks and missiles striking refineries, chemical and energy plants, nuclear facilities, water stations, and ammonia pipelines, the country's air, water, and soil have been poisoned and contaminated, collectively posing serious health risks to the population. For example, in the Donbas region – Ukraine's coal capital – the war has devastated many coal shafts, which are not only critical for supplying the economy, but following their recent abandonment have been flooded with acid mine drainage, which is in turn infiltrating crucial groundwater sources.

In addition to these risks from the destruction of industrial sites, spilled fuel, chemicals and heavy metals from army vehicles and detonated missiles can lead to the contamination of soil, groundwater and air, which poses risks to human health.

Already a heavily industrialised economy with one of the poorest track records of air quality in Europe, Ukraine had been suffering ecological damage long before Russia’s recent invasion. Smoke from outdated iron and steel plants previously filled the skies above Mariupol, one of Ukraine’s most polluted cities before the war. Today, pollution from industrial activity is replaced by fumes from a ferocious barrage of weapons, blasts and ammunition. The extent of environmental damage will be hard to measure. Emissions will go unreported as monitoring systems have been disrupted or destroyed.

The divisive and destructive risks that war and sanctions pose to the environment counteract the collective effort needed to combat climate change on a global level

Mass migration of refugees fleeing into Europe could pose greater stresses on ecosystem services in countries opening their doors to refugees. The gravity of these costs reinforces the fact that war-induced environmental damage is not geographically confined and has far-reaching consequences both domestically and abroad.

The Impact of War on Agriculture

Heightened conflict between two of the world’s major agricultural suppliers, which together account for nearly one-third of international grain exports, has caused great uncertainty and volatility in food security and global markets.

While the coronavirus pandemic had already strained these markets, the Russo-Ukrainian War has exacerbated the situation for poorer countries in North Africa, Asia and the Middle East – regions that depend heavily on wheat imports from both Ukraine and Russia. According to the UN World Food Programme, food prices will continue to rise, forcing the leaders of these countries to scramble to meet changing market conditions.

Heavy shelling and explosions have rendered vast areas of arable land in Ukraine no longer suitable for agriculture or habitation. Furthermore, disruptions to the agricultural activities of Russia and Ukraine, including the ability of farmers who may have been displaced by the war to harvest their crops, have been compounded by export bans for staple goods issued by the Ukrainian and Russian governments.

Similarly, as a lead producer of fertiliser, Russia’s war and subsequent sanctions have not only caused food prices to spike but have also placed great strain on the world’s major agricultural systems. According to the UN, the price of urea, a key ingredient in fertiliser, tripled in the past year.

Russia is a key exporter of agricultural fertiliser inputs including ‘potash, ammonia, urea and other soil nutrients’, but sanctions have jeopardized the trade of these essential agricultural goods. Last year, Russia and Belarus accounted for more than 40% of global exports of potash, an essential nutrient to ensure heightened agricultural output. Belarus is unable to fill the gap because it also faces Western sanctions.

Understanding Sanctions and Their Unintended Costs

A guiding principle of the Paris Agreement is ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’, which encompass a communal obligation for all countries to safeguard our climate, differentiated based on abilities and the idea that developed and developing countries have contributed to climate change differently, so duties should be shared accordingly. Russia, Ukraine, Iran and the US were all signatories to this monumental agreement. However, the divisive and destructive risks that war and sanctions pose to the environment counteract the collective effort needed to combat climate change on a global level.

Sanctions and war remain instrumental tools in the arsenal of state power in the 21st century, but foreign policies aimed at narrow strategic objectives cannot proceed unchanged at the expense of environmental peril.

The ancient legend of Achilles’ Heel offers a cautionary tale about the possible limits of war and sanctions and the larger existential blind spots we miss in the devastating costs to our environment. Thus, it is the responsibility of future policy and scholarly circles to engage and expand research on the interdependencies between war, sanctions and the environment, in order to help create policy that is more aligned with sustainable development and achieving the Paris climate goals.

The views expressed in this Commentary are the author’s, and do not represent those of RUSI or any other institution.

Have an idea for a Commentary you’d like to write for us? Send a short pitch to commentaries@rusi.org and we’ll get back to you if it fits into our research interests. Full guidelines for contributors can be found here.

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Despite government intransigence, public opinion shifted: in 2022, 67% of Germans favored at least a five-year extension of nuclear plants, and some political parties, businesses, and a growing proportion of the public advocated reconsidering the phase-out, citing climate, energy security, and economic impacts .

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Content: “There is no excuse for the rich West to be oblivious to the global debt crisis. ” – The Guardian
We start with an opinion piece by Larry Elliott, the Guardian ’ s economic editor, entitled “The wealthy West has little excuse for finally waking up to the global debt crisis. ”
“After a decade or more of their obsession with their own problems, countries in the wealthy West have begun to pay attention to the threat of a looming debt crisis in the poorer parts of the world, ” he says at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week.
The good news is that debt has risen to the highest level on the policy agenda and is seen as a problem that needs to be regulated, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said about the need for distressed countries to help: “Help them deal with the debt burden, which has made the shocks of past years more difficult; and help ensure that the IMF can continue to support them in the years to come. ”
The bad news, according to Elliott, is that Georgieva ’ s appeal has not yet been heeded, as rich countries are still primarily interested in their own problems.
The geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is also not helping.
Creditor countries may wake up to the idea that there is a debt problem but it is far from a solution.
Talk is not like work. ”
Achim Steiner, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said: “There are more than 50 countries on his radar that can default very quickly. ”
Steiner believes that the UN has no chance of meeting its ambitious 2030 development goals, unless there is urgent action.
The volume of lending by the private sector has made attempts to restructure or write off debt more complex than in the past.
At the time of the HIPC initiative, creditors tended to be either individual governments or multilateral organizations such as the World Bank.
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“But since the global financial crisis, many countries, especially middle-income countries, have borrowed heavily in financial markets, taking advantage of very low interest rates to finance domestic projects. ”
After the setback of the COVID-19 epidemic, low- and middle-income countries have since been hit by two other undesirable shocks: the war in Ukraine, which led to higher food and fuel prices, and the sharp increase in central bank interest rates in large Western economies.
The result is that debt servicing has become much more expensive, with many countries now frozen out of financial markets altogether.
Steiner said: "The issue is not financial but political.
The United States has mobilized $400 billion to secure Silicon Valley Bank deposits.
This is more than the developing world has received in three years.
It took the Swiss government less than 48 hours to find 100 billion Swiss francs to secure the rescue of one of its banks.
“The lesson of the recent banking crises is clear.
Rich countries can act fast enough when they want to, ” the writer concludes.
Fears of Macron ’ s politics
We turn to another Financial Times opinion piece by Alain Beatty, a trade writer, entitled “The Risks of Emmanuel Macron ’ s Strategic Insistence. ”
Macron ’ s focus on keeping a distance from both Washington and Beijing in pursuit of the EU ’ s vague “strategic autonomy ” is not an innovation among European policymakers, but geopolitical Europe enthusiasts need to recognize that the lack of unity and trust within the EU, rather than the sinister manipulation by Washington and Beijing, is the main obstacle.
“We ’ ve already seen this happen in trade policy, which is one area where the EU has long had the ability to act collectively.
In the same way that there is nothing stopping European governments from increasing military spending and playing a greater geopolitical role, the bloc can certainly increase its ability to use trade to project its strategic influence.
But while France has been keen to create new tools for intervening in trade and investment, other member states recognize that the views and interests of Paris are not necessarily those of the bloc as a whole.
“In recent years, the European Commission has carefully designed a range of trade instruments to confirm the bloc ’ s geo-economic weight.
The most politically salient is the anti-coercion tool ECI, which will allow the EU to use a wide range of trade and investment measures to retaliate against the bullying of trading partners.
France has strongly supported all this activity, and has also called for the creation of new EU central funds to pursue industrial policy.
“But the Commission will struggle to use this set of tools if there is opposition from other member states that are mindful of their export interests or distrust in using trade tools to manage a centralized strategic policy.
A few days before Macron ’ s trip, the Commission succumbed to pressure from some EU governments, including Germany, and gave member states a major role in determining the use of ECI.
Berlin instinctively avoids confrontation that could damage German exports and investments abroad.
There have also been more principled objections from liberal member states including Sweden and the Czech Republic, sceptical of attempts to politicize trade policy and the likelihood that it will be overly influenced by certain governments.
Macron inadvertently contributed to these concerns, especially as he unnerved some other EU governments two years ago with a clear orientation toward a major investment deal with China, “leaving a legacy of caution. ”
“Attempting to push a union with divergent views to adopt a single approach to a specific global issue is unlikely to produce long-term results. ”
German split on energy policy
We remain with an article by Laura Bettel, the Financial Times correspondent in Berlin, entitled “Germany is being torn apart by energy policy with the closure of nuclear plants. ”
Bethel said Germany ’ s last remaining nuclear power plants were shut down on Saturday, “marking a watershed moment in a country that has long had deep doubts about atomic energy. ”
Anti-nuclear activists hailed the shutdown of three reactors as a victory after a temporary delay following the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war that forced Berlin to look for alternatives to Russian gas.
Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe ’ s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.
After decades of anti-nuclear protests, the decisive moment came in 2011 when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country ’ s nuclear plants until 2036, bringing the phase-out date to 2022.
The anti-nuclear movement in former West Germany dates back to the 1970s, when a popular campaign succeeded in stopping the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southwestern village of Weil.
The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 fuelled that movement.
But German public opinion shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War: an August 2022 poll from Der Spiegel found that 67 percent of Germans supported a five-year extension of the country ’ s nuclear plants.
41% supported the construction of new plants.
In a similar poll three decades ago, only 3% said yes.
But the German Green Party, now part of the three-way coalition government led by Olaf Schulz, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.
“The way in which Germany has chosen to phase out nuclear power, and step back from fossil fuels as a bridging gap even as renewables increase dramatically, has been highly controversial. ”

Internationally, Germany stands apart as other countries expand nuclear to address climate and security goals, while Germany’s policy remains debated at home and abroad .

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Content: Read the history of the moment: why is Germany so entangled in nuclear power? | German News | DW | 14.04.2023
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Read the history of the present: why is Germany so entangled in nuclear power?
Germany was proud of its nuclear power generation technology, but at the same time the technology has been so controversial that it has finally decided that April 15, 2023 is the date of withdrawal from nuclear power.
However, as the energy crisis caused by the Russian-Ukrainian war continues to intensify, the wisdom of the decision to say goodbye to nuclear energy has been widely discussed.
Germany ’ s nuclear policy is in dispute again
It all started with an "egg" - Germany's first nuclear reactor in Garching, near Munich, went into operation in October 1957.
Because the nuclear reactor, which belongs to the University of Munich, resembles an egg, it is nicknamed the "atomic egg".
It was a milestone in Germany's nuclear energy research and a symbol of Germany's resurgence after World War II.
The nuclear reactor, which was used for scientific purposes, remained in operation until 2000.
In 1957, Germany built its first nuclear reactor.
Three years later, in 1960, the first nuclear power plant for civilian use was built in the city of Kahl, on the banks of the Main River in Bavaria.
At that time, atomic energy was widely regarded as both safe and reliable. The 1973 oil crisis gave further impetus to the rapid development of nuclear energy in Germany.
The start of the anti-nuclear movement
Since it has been impossible to find a foolproof way to store nuclear waste, opponents have begun to question whether nuclear energy is really a clean energy source.
Thousands of protesters clashed with police during the construction of the Brockdorf nuclear power plant in the state of Shihe.
Since the 1970s, plans for the construction of the Brockdorf nuclear power plant have triggered numerous police and civil conflicts.
"Nuclear energy? No, thank you!" has become a rallying cry for environmentalists.
In the 1980s, a new political party, the Green Party, emerged in West Germany. Its members are mainly leftists, pacifists, environmentalists and anti-nuclear forces. In 1983, the Green Party entered the Bundestag.
In 1983, Green Party politicians Gert Bastian and Petra Kelly were elected to the Bundestag.
On March 28, 1979, a serious accident occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, United States. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union, exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Radiation clouds spread throughout Europe.
The accident also marked a turning point in discussions about nuclear technology in Germany.
At the time, Germany was still divided.
In East Germany under the Communist Party, the public received almost no information about the nuclear accident and its effects.
West Germany, on the other hand, was in a state of confusion and politicians were helpless.
People were unprepared for a nuclear leak, and the government was unable to provide guidelines and response strategies for the time being.
A hastily formed crisis management team was also disbanded shortly afterwards.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident has caused widespread concern in Germany.
People are buying iodine.
A large quantity of fruit, vegetables and milk in the supermarket was ordered to be removed from the shelves because of concerns about nuclear radiation.
Children were banned from playing in the sand pools and citizens were warned not to go out in the rain.
Although the health effects of radiation were not detected in Germany, the accident led to the introduction of nationwide radiation monitoring in Germany, which eventually led to the establishment of the Federal Ministry of the Environment.
Plans to build a nuclear waste treatment plant in the Bavarian town of Wackersdorf have sparked serious riots.
The clashes left several protesters and civil servants dead and hundreds injured.
The project was finally halted in 1989, the first major victory of the German environmental movement.
And...
In 2011, protesters handcuffed themselves to the tracks in an attempt to block trains carrying nuclear waste.
Meanwhile, in northern Germany, Gorleben in Lower Saxony became a symbol of the struggle against nuclear waste, and the town was designated to temporarily store nuclear waste until a permanent storage site was identified.
The first shipment of nuclear waste arrived in the town on 24 April 1995.
A long farewell to nuclear power - Germany's nuclear withdrawal process after many setbacks
In 2001, Schroeder's center-left coalition government of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party reached an agreement with major energy companies to phase out nuclear power.
All 19 nuclear power plants in Germany have been given operating timelines and the last one is required to be shut down by 2021.
In 2001, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced that Germany would phase out nuclear power generation.
In 2010, the center-right government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel withdrew the nuclear withdrawal agreement.
It also decided to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants.
However, the third major nuclear accident in the world has caused a change in Germany's nuclear energy policy. On March 11, 2011, the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
The impact of the accident on Germany is even greater than that of Japan.
As a veteran physicist, German Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly changed her usual stance on nuclear energy policy.
Merkel suddenly announced that the era of nuclear power in Germany will end by the end of 2022. On July 30, 2011, the German Bundestag voted to approve the resolution.
After years of fierce fighting, the Brockdorf nuclear power plant in the state of Ishih will finally become history in 2021 after 35 years of operation.
In 2017, Germany decided to start a nationwide search for a safe place to store highly radioactive nuclear waste, with the mission to be completed by 2031.
At the end of 2021, anti-nuclear activists celebrated the closure of a nuclear power plant in North Germany.
Rethinking the nuclear policy.
The war in Ukraine has made Germany anxious to get rid of its energy dependence on Russia, which has also reignited the already ironclad policy of denuclearization.
The coalition leader has spearheaded a proposal to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants to replace natural gas from Russia with nuclear power.
In August 2022, CDU Chairman Meltz and CSU Chairman Soder both put forward the idea of extending the time limit for nuclear power operations.
Christian Lindner, finance minister of the business-oriented Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), immediately backed a return to nuclear power.
His party is junior partner in a centre-left coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens.
The latter will find it difficult to agree to an extension because opposition to nuclear power is one of their core issues.
But in the summer of 2022, no one in Germany completely ruled out that possibility.
LDP finance minister Lindner, who is focused on business interests, was also quick to join the pro-nuclear camp.
But for the Green Party, which is also part of the ruling coalition, the possibility of agreeing to extend the operating time of nuclear power plants is slim, because opposition to nuclear power is their basic principle.
Anything is possible in Germany in 2022.
Can nuclear power be a climate savior?
Editor: This article was originally published in August 2022
© 2022 Deutsche Welle Copyright Notice: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special permission from Deutsche Welle.
Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.
DW.COM


The International Space Station (ISS) experienced a significant air leak, first detected in 2019 when pressure levels began to drop unusually.

The leak was traced mainly to the Russian Zvezda module, though smaller cracks were also found elsewhere.

The likely causes included physical damage from space debris and aging seals in the station’s structure, both normal concerns given the ISS's age and exposure to harsh space conditions .

By August 2020, the leak became more pronounced, prompting focused action.

The crew ingeniously used a floating tea bag to observe airflow, helping pinpoint the main crack's location in the Zvezda module.

Initially, they applied tape to seal the crack and, after receiving approval, later reinforced repairs with a drill and sealant.

These measures—though creative—did not entirely solve the problem, as the leak rate increased to about one to two pounds of air per day .

To contain the situation, the crew isolated the affected area by closing the hatch to that compartment, keeping the rest of the station safe.

Repairs were ongoing, requiring materials delivered by a Russian Progress cargo ship.

In December, cosmonauts identified what was believed to be the final main leak site, and specialists prepared for definitive repairs .

Throughout, there was no immediate danger to the crew, and international teams worked closely to resolve the situation.

The drama of working in a vulnerable situation, the ingenuity in problem-solving, and the cooperation between crew members were key features of this real-life event .

The International Space Station (ISS) experienced a significant air leak, first detected in 2019 when pressure levels began to drop unusually.

Title:

Content: Links for simplified access
ISS crew reports smoke and smell of burnt plastic
In the Russian module “Zvezda ” on the International space station (ISS) last night worked fire alarm, reports RIA“ Novosti ” with reference to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, which broadcasts NASA.
Around five in the morning Moscow time, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky told the Mission Control Center about the smoke and smell of burnt plastic.
After that, the devices showed the presence of harmful substances in the area of the medical cabinet in the Zvezda module.
French astronaut Tom Pesquet said that the smell of burnt plastic or electronics also penetrated the American segment of the ISS due to the working ventilation.
The source of the smoke and smell has not yet been identified.
The ISS included a system for removing harmful impurities.
Later, Roscosmos said that the smoke sensor and alarm system worked on the ISS “during automatic recharging of batteries. ”
Currently, all systems of the station are working normally, the department notes.
The Russian service module Zvezda docked to the ISS in July 2000.
Its main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, which was to replace the Mir station, but then it was decided to use it in the ISS program.
Zvezda allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space, and the module can also dock with the Progress cargo ship, which once every three months delivers the necessary supplies to the station and adjusts its orbit.
In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS.
A year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.
Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed us to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.
The astronauts sealed it with a sealant, but the air leak continued.
Recently, during the survey of the International Space Station, cosmonauts found non-through cracks on the oldest module - "Dawn".
At the end of July, a meeting of the Presidium of the Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos took place, where it was noted that the station is breathing on incense.
The International Space Station will expire in 2024.
Earlier, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, predicted an avalanche of failure of numerous elements at the station after 2025.
This mainly concerns the tightness of the housing and complex computing facilities that have developed their resource, Solovyov noted.
XS
SM
MD
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The leak was traced mainly to the Russian Zvezda module, though smaller cracks were also found elsewhere.

The likely causes included physical damage from space debris and aging seals in the station’s structure, both normal concerns given the ISS's age and exposure to harsh space conditions .

Title:

Content: How did a bag of tea help astronauts save $150 billion?
How did a bag of tea help astronauts save $150 billion?
A few years ago, a torn bag helped save the ISS
The International Space Station was built in 1998 for $150 billion.
Every year, another 3-4 billion dollars are spent to maintain its operability, but the design is already very old and needs repair more and more often.
For example, in August 2020, a pressure drop was recorded aboard the space station, which is a sign of an air leak.
All astronauts and cosmonauts on board were isolated in the Russian Zvezda module.
After some time, it was found out that the air-permeable crack was in the module in which the entire crew temporarily settled.
One of the Russian cosmonauts was able to quickly find the place of leakage with the help of a usual tea bag.
Oxygen on the ISS
According to the India Times, the space station loses about 250 grams of oxygen every day and this is normal - it is difficult to achieve complete tightness.
In the event of an acute shortage of oxygen, it is delivered by cargo ships, but is most often produced directly at the station.
In the second case, members of the ISS use electrolysis - an electric current is passed through the water, as a result of which oxygen appears.
To do this, on board there is a life support system ECLSS, which not only monitors the operation of the station, but also provides people with access to water, protects against fires and so on.
ECLSS technical director Robyn Carrasquillo once praised Russia for using a way to extract moisture from the air, even in the old Salyut and Mir spacecraft.
ECLSS system
Oxygen leakage to the ISS
In August 2020, the space station began to lose about a kilogram of air per day.
The situation was serious, but the lives of the ISS crew were not threatened.
Astronauts from different countries temporarily began to live in the Russian module “Zvezda ” and for four days searched for a leak in other parts of the station.
The search did not give any results, so it became clear that the gap is in the Zvezda module launched more than 20 years ago.
The leak could have occurred for various reasons, for example, due to the collision of the ISS with space debris, which is a lot in near-Earth space.
Also, it was not excluded that seals simply peeled off from the walls of the station, which just do not allow oxygen to leak.
ISS module "Zvezda"
Search for the place of oxygen leakage
An unusual way to find the leak was found by cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin.
He installed several cameras in the module and opened the tea bag.
After some time, the ISS members noticed that the tea leaves began to move slowly towards one of the metal walls of the module.
After studying the trajectory of the leaves, the space crew quickly found the crack formed on the ISS.
First, they taped this place with tape, and then got permission to use a drill and sealant.
It is known that thanks to the trick with a package of tea, the astronauts managed to save about 150 billion dollars.
Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin
The International Space Station is aging and will one day become completely unusable – that ’ s a fact.
New cracks were discovered even in 2021.
Especially there are many of them in the Russian module “Zarya ”, which was launched into space in 1998 and today is the oldest part of the station.
More recently, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, announced his concerns about the safety of the station.
It is especially frightening that the station is planned to be used even after 2025.
In theory, the use of the old station could cause a terrible disaster.
ISS module "Zarya"
Finally, I note that to replace the old module "Dawn" it was planned to send the module "Science".
But it became an independent module and docked to the ISS in July 2021.
The docking was far from perfect - the module deployed the station at 45 degrees.
19 october 2021 /
• 0
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Cognac is very popular with them, but it makes no sense to take beer with you.
And all
China has launched an apparatus to collect lunar soil.
When will he return to Earth?
China has successfully launched to the moon the apparatus “Chang ’ e-5 ” to collect soil samples.
This is the first such mission in 44 years, and if all goes well, China will become the third country to do so.
Russia is developing its own space station.
What will it look like?
The International Space Station was launched into orbit around our planet in 1998.
Initially, it was planned that it will work for 20 years, but subsequently the period of its use was extended.
According to the opinion
On the ISS found a place of air leakage.
What's next?
Inside the International Space Station live astronauts from different countries and they all need oxygen.
The air necessary for the life of the crew is produced by special equipment, but
Space debris nearly damaged the ISS.
How did it all work out?
Humanity began to actively explore space with the help of complex technology around the middle of the 20th century.
First, hundreds were launched into Earth orbit every year, and then thousands began to be launched.
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the brain, like the heart, is one of the main organs of the human body.
It consists of many areas, each of which has certain tasks.
Take the brain for example, this
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By August 2020, the leak became more pronounced, prompting focused action.

The crew ingeniously used a floating tea bag to observe airflow, helping pinpoint the main crack's location in the Zvezda module.

Initially, they applied tape to seal the crack and, after receiving approval, later reinforced repairs with a drill and sealant.

These measures—though creative—did not entirely solve the problem, as the leak rate increased to about one to two pounds of air per day .

Title:

Content: 29 Feb, 2024 11:18

Russia comments on space station leak

A NASA official had previously reported that air loss from the Zvezda module had doubled

Air leaking from a segment of the International Space Station (ISS) poses no risk to its crew or the orbital outpost, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said.

A NASA official had previously reported that the rate at which air was escaping from the satellite's Russian Zvezda module under certain circumstances had doubled. The situation is under control and being constantly monitored, the Roscosmos told Interfax on Wednesday, when asked about remarks by NASA’s ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano,.

”The aging of the station’s structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board require a significant portion of the crew’s time,” Roscosmos said.

Montalbano mentioned the issue during this week’s briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, which is scheduled for launch on Friday.

”There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station. [There is] a small leak. We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking,” he said, referring to a Russian automatic supply freighter.

The volume of lost air has increased to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously, Montalbano said.

”The hatch is closed in that area. It’s not an impact on Crew-8, but I didn’t want anyone to be surprised, if they hear about that later,” he explained.

The use of the module for retrieving the Progress shipment didn’t pose any issues in terms of the leak, he said. The next opening of the hatch is expected in April. While it’s closed, the rest of the station is “solid.”

Technical issues at the ISS are being reported on a regular basis. Roscosmos has said the age of the station is a key reason why it is developing plans for a new purely Russian-manned orbital structure as an alternative to participating in the international project.

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To contain the situation, the crew isolated the affected area by closing the hatch to that compartment, keeping the rest of the station safe.

Repairs were ongoing, requiring materials delivered by a Russian Progress cargo ship.

Title:

Content: 22: 04, 31 December 2021
The Russian crew found the alleged site of air leakage on the International space station
It is located in the module “Star ”, said in“ Roscosmos ”.
The cosmonauts will begin repair work after the nearest Progress cargo ship will deliver the necessary funds to them, the state corporation said.
Today, during the congratulations of the Russian participants of the expedition to the ISS, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, spoke about the problems faced by the astronauts.
Air leakage at the station was recorded more than two years ago.
Since then, crew members have found several cracks and reported that they were able to seal them.
However, the pressure on the station continued to fall.
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In December, cosmonauts identified what was believed to be the final main leak site, and specialists prepared for definitive repairs .

Title:

Content: Possible location of air leak from the International Space Station
Space
International Space Station
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / s7a8
The media office of the Roscosmos Foundation announced that the Russian cosmonauts discovered in the unit "Zvezda", the possible place of air leakage from the International Space Station.
According to the information office, the materials and equipment needed to repair this place will be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.
"The equipment and materials necessary to stop air leakage will be sent with the first Progress cargo vehicle launched to the International Space Station, to solve this problem once and for all," the statement said.
Astronauts Peter Dobrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in December in the middle chamber of the Zvezda unit.
NASA has said it is considering isolating the Zvezda module completely if necessary.
The Roscosmos media office commented: “The concerns of our partners are unfounded and surprising. ”
Source: Novosti
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Throughout, there was no immediate danger to the crew, and international teams worked closely to resolve the situation.

The drama of working in a vulnerable situation, the ingenuity in problem-solving, and the cooperation between crew members were key features of this real-life event .