Beiträge

EU Elections | Climate Activism on the Move | Big Oil’s Lasting influence – May 2019

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – May 2019

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The month of May was marked by hardly surprising yet very alarming revelations about the current state of our Earth and our (non-)actions to finally get it into a better shape. 1 million of the planet’s species are at risk of extinction due to human activities such as fishing, agriculture and of course, climate change, a damning UN report warns. The highest CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in human history was recorded this month at the world’s oldest measuring station in Hawaii. 29 states have already experienced their national Earth Overshoot Days, indicating the day on which they have used their share of resources for the whole year. Every year of the last decade, more people fled from natural disasters than from violence and conflict, a new UN report calculated. The oil industry continues to push its agenda and plans to drill fossils worth $5 trillion.
We agree that these news sound absolutely devastating, but with the global climate movement and the triggered public debates on climate action becoming louder, we also see the first positive indications that the voices of the younger generation are heard. The most recent example that makes us more optimistic: Chancellor Merkel just announced that Germany needs to discuss how to “achieve the target of becoming climate neutral by 2050”, which would be a great step forward as opposed to the initially targeted 80-95%. We need more commitments and with them, more action. Thankfully, the Europeans among us have the opportunity to voice our opinion on climate action in the EU parliament elections this week. Let’s inform ourselves and others. Enjoy reading our May Newsletter!

100% Renewable Energy Worldwide | European Nuclear Industry Crisis – April 2019

Energy Watch Group Newsletter – April 2019

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On April 12, together with LUT University, we presented our new study showcasing that: A global transition to 100% renewable energy will not only reduce energy related GHG emissions to zero but is technically feasible and economically competitive with the current fossil and nuclear based system. The scientific modelling study simulates a total global energy transition to renewables in the electricity, heat, transport and desalination sectors by 2050 or earlier, given a strong political will.
More political ambition and action is urgently needed as 2018 has seen the highest emission growth in over 5 years. Not only politics but also big businesses have failed to reduce emissions and become more sustainable. While oil multinational Shell is still one of the world’s worst polluters, Ryanair might just be on its way there, the airline landed in the top-10 of Europe’s worst carbon emitters, together with 9 coal plants. Europe, or rather the EU, could nevertheless reach nearly 60% of emission reduction by 2030. In Germany, the fight for climate action continues, while business representatives want to lower emission reduction goals, Fridays for Future Germany have published a paper with an official set of climate action demands to the German government, including the call for 100% renewables by 2035 and a complete coal phase-out until 2030. Scientific work on 100% renewables is increasingly taking off, as shown in a new study by a Scandinavian research team. Read about these and more exciting news in our April Newsletter.