Germany cannot outsource everything

Demonstration against natural gas production method fracking

There is immense resistance to almost everything in Germany. Not only against fossil energies.

(Photo: dpa)

Dusseldorf Fracking gas from the USA, nuclear power from France and CO2 to – Norway? Yes, the main thing is that the average German citizen doesn’t have to get his hands dirty. For years, the answer to uncomfortable topics has been very convenient: simply outsource.

The next debate will revolve around the question of where unavoidable CO2 emissions should be stored. And the answer must be: also in Germany. This applies both to parts of the Greens, who oppose this issue, and to large parts of the population itself.

The coal group RWE had already tried to promote the topic of CO2 separation and storage (CCS) in Germany. And failed miserably. Mainly because of the resistance in the population. That was right. First, CCS technology should never be used to justify the continued operation of fossil power plants. But only when it comes to really unavoidable emissions, such as in cement production. That should increase acceptance significantly.

Secondly, the storage should probably take place under the seabed rather than under cow pastures in Schleswig-Holstein. That, too, should make the population more lenient. But if the federal government decides to use CCS – and even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes this as unavoidable – then the harmful gas must also be injected, at least in part, under German soil.

You can’t call for climate change on the one hand and on the other hand demand that the CO2 be stored in Norway. This is dishonest.

Instead, most of them not only do not want fracking on their doorstep, they also demonstrate just as passionately against the wind turbine. Recently even against solar parks. A separate initiative has been set up for this in North Rhine-Westphalia. The motto: “Not in front of our garden fence”. Nothing can happen like that with the energy transition.

More: “We had to pull the emergency brake”: Why the new German solar boom is faltering

source site-14