Germany criticised for watering down climate plan
From Reuters:
The German government has bowed to pressure to water down its CO2 reduction targets for industry in the final version of its climate action plan, a document seen by Reuters showed.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is determined to hammer out the final details this week so that Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks can present the plan at global climate talks in Morocco next week.
The government is now calling for German industry to cut its CO2 emissions by 20 rather than 30 percent by 2030 compared with 2014, according to the document which was seen on Friday.
A leader of the Greens, Anton Hofreiter, said the watered-down goals as showed how Germany, which once considered itself a leader in climate protection, has gone off course.
“The climate protection plan remains just a skeleton,” he said. “There still aren’t any clear goals or measures. This government is afraid to tackle issues like more CO2-free vehicles on the road or closing down coal-burning plants.”
In the new plan, the emissions-cutting target for power stations was reduced, although only slightly.
Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) who share power with Merkel’s conservatives, blocked a deal late on Tuesday on the initial plan, aimed at cutting German CO2 emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
His unexpected veto came after trade union IG BCE, with the support of the BDI industry group, raised concerns about plans for Germany to end its use of brown coal amid calls for it to set out a timetable for ending coal-fired power production.
Gabriel said it was important to achieve ambitious climate and energy policies that also take into account modernization, economic growth and job security.
The document also dropped a previous government call to set a minimum price for carbon permits auctioned by countries under the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The ETS charges power plants and factories for every ton of carbon dioxide they emit, but to stop industries moving their operations to countries with looser environmental regulations, many firms have been handed free permits.
The German document suggested 10 percent of the most efficient plants in sectors that could be vulnerable to so-called carbon leakage should continue to get free allowances.
EU lawmakers are currently working on reforms of the market that will reduce the share of free carbon permits handed out after 2020 as part of an effort to fix the oversupply in the system and boost prices.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-climatechange-idUSKBN136132
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Reality strikes again. We should all be thanking Germany for spearheading the Europe rush to energy suicide. As the leading industrial nation slowly sinks into loss of productivity and lowering of living standards the lessons learned will be useful to everyone else. If I remember correctly…..isn’t Germany the home of the Green Party?
“… many firms have been handed free permits …”
Regarding “free permits”: Did not a German, Martin Luther, start the Reformation because of Indulgences? The Church did require some payment, so I suppose the current government is wise. One doesn’t want to cause an uprising. Free is nice.
Technological progress has already reduced emissions of all kinds since Kyoto without the need for compulsion. That’s the way technology works. Things get more efficient and provided they’re cost-effective as well, the free market chooses the winners. Germany could achieve its emissions target within a year by scrapping all the RE and allowing fracking.
It’s called the Trump Effect.
A much smaller delegation this time????http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2016/cop22/eng/misc02p03.pdf
Oh, the 27,000 signed up thus far does not include government representatives – so add another 5-10,000.
Not a good time to cut back on power supply as there is currently a stunning increase in Northern hemisphere snow cover!
http://www.gavsweathervids.com/winter2016-17-forecast-uk.php
So, what duplicity is this?……. the Germans can build new lignite power generation but set a timetable to cut them out?
Whatevah, always those crafty bastards change the rools [wot dey?]……to suit themselves and Britain sticks by the crazy gang emissions targets – rigidly and goes down into the deindustrialization dustbin – northern Pakistan here we are.
From NoTricksZone Former German Economics Minister Rips Renewable Energy Policy! “Capital Destruction Of Difficult-To-Fathom Dimensions”!
Where P Gosselin quotes —
[edited TM]
Tension between reality and green foolishness will only get worse as the nuclear closrue crunch nears.
This is OT but I thought it might interest some here: “EU Threatens to Punish Britain for Getting Close to Trump”
http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/11/12/eu-threatens-punish-britain-getting-close-trump/
It sounds like Germany is at last giving the UN a more measured and thoughtful response to the ‘waste of money schemes’ to redistribute global wealth*. But they are still behind the curve.
I’ll echo President Ronald Reagan and say —
“Mrs Merkel tear down that Energiewende!”
Understand that as while that costly abomination stays, German will be at the focus of the global socialist experimental crucible for Western democracy’s industrial and financial destruction.
*see http://understandingfraud.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/they-lied-to-you-about-climate-change.html
Although no one has been announced as yet that I have heard, apparently one of Donald Trump’s very short list to head the EPA is, gasp, a “science denier”. A short bit of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” is called for here.
In addition, on his first day, he will be rescinding 50+ Obama “executive orders”. The executive order was meant by the Founding Father’s to allow for important decisions when Congress was not in session–in those days, that was most of the time.
Obama has misused executive orders to get his way when Congress, told him “no.” But since they are not binding law passed by Congress, President Trump can dismiss them with a stroke of HIS pen. The EPA regulations strangling coal, delaying pipelines, etc. can disappear on January 20, 2017 along with many other pieces of nastiness created by the narcissist-in-chief. We won’t miss that brat.
AS for the UN. A lot of us would like to see it sent packing and the property turned into a useful, income-PRODUCING enterprise of some sort.
Back “in those days” the DC was a malarial swamp and there was no A/C. Somethings I wish it were still like that.
Green spokesperson: ‘“The climate protection plan remains just a skeleton,” he said. “There still aren’t any clear goals or measures.’
Only own goals as the cost of electricity rises while reliability of supply falls.
Interesting to see the union opposition just as there has been growing opposition from the GMB union here. I guess they are not falling for the promised rush of ‘green’ jobs to replace the real ones that their members do that will be destroyed.
Of all the Trump promises made, ending global warming is the one that is easiest to deliver. Putting a guy who delights in being called the Denier in Chief in charge of the EPA is one positive move. And US law requires the UNFCCC funding to stop since it has recognized Palestine as a state. So The Don would just be obeying the law, unlike Obummer who spends a lot of time ignoring it or subverting it.