Business and politics want to avoid their own nuclear waste at all costs, but obtain nuclear power from abroad. Fracking is not politically enforceable, but LNG gas obtained through fracking is a popular import product. Will we soon also be sending our carbon dioxide abroad because we don’t want to store it ourselves?
Germany was the world export champion for many years. China has long held this position. In the meantime, however, the Federal Republic has come a long way in exporting environmental pollution: Germany is shutting down its nuclear power plants and definitely does not want to produce any new nuclear waste, but obtains nuclear power from neighboring countries. Fracking is not politically enforceable in Germany. But importing fracking gas from Canada or the USA does.
Germany separates its household waste like no other nation, but is the world’s third largest exporter of plastic waste. Only the USA and Japan send more empty milk cartons on their way. Since the main customer China imposed an import ban in 2018, the waste industry has mainly exported to Malaysia.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, there are also around 350 million tons of waste that does not come from households: exports of construction waste, municipal waste and waste from production and trade are by no means declining, but have recently increased.
Again and again, environmentally conscious action ends at our national borders. Governments of practically all parties want to spare their own citizens supposed unreasonable demands, but not the people in other countries. Now adding another case to this list: the so-called CCS technology.
Carbon capture and storage involves capturing and storing CO2 underground so it doesn’t escape into the atmosphere and cause harm. The process has the potential to significantly reduce global carbon dioxide emissions and is also considered necessary by the UN to achieve climate goals.
The otherwise extremely dirty cement industry relies heavily on this solution. No wonder many countries are investing heavily in the technology. Norway is particularly ambitious and, according to experts, the world leader. CCS was also a topic when Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) recently visited there.
Germany gets around 38 percent of its natural gas from Norway, more is not possible. But the Scandinavians are happy to help Germany improve its climate footprint by removing a significant amount of carbon dioxide. Norway says it has a safe CO2 storage facility on the sea floor.
Large parts of the carbon dioxide produced in Europe could be packed into these sea shelves. This will also be necessary if Germany one day acts as climate-neutral as possible – because even then, around six percent of today’s CO2 emissions will be unavoidable.
In Germany, there have long been concerns about the technology. Four years ago, the topic boiled up when it was announced that there should be four CCS test facilities.
The debate about CCS has been going on for years. In 2009, the then federal government passed a first draft for a CCS law that would have enabled the use of the technology. But there was considerable resistance from the population. Fear of leaks and groundwater contamination was high in the affected areas.
In addition, critics argued that the technology is primarily used to keep coal-fired power plants running. The law was withdrawn, the debate dragged on for years with the result that CCS is only possible in theory in this country.
The situation would be completely different today: the decision to phase out coal has been made. CCS should only be used to store necessary, process-related emissions. Even the IPCC climate council sees the technology as a necessary means of reducing CO2 as much as possible.
There are now even alliances between industry and climate protectionists, for whom CCS is one of the “central pillars on the way to climate neutrality for industry”. The coalition agreement states that a long-term strategy for dealing with unavoidable residual emissions is to be drawn up. By then, Germany will probably have exported a lot of CO2 to Norway.
Energy has never been as expensive as it is now. But instead of panicking, you should calmly check potential savings at home. As our guide shows, there are many of them.
Astonishment in Munich city politics. The non-party climate officer is said to have been happy about the rise in gas prices. OB Dieter Reiter does not share her opinion. The Greens try to make a statement and attack the SPD.
Because of the energy crisis, some households are hoarding heating oil. “A great momentum ordered out of fear,” says the owner of the Coburg company Heizöl Baumann. The family business is currently experiencing high demand.
Gas consumption by German companies has fallen drastically – on the one hand because production is being shut down. But Germany’s economy is also discovering clever ways of using less energy. The inventors are now being used in the corporations.
The article “Germany’s hypocritical environmental policy is experiencing a new peak” comes from WirtschaftsKurier.
