GWPF Newsletter: Germany Kills Ambitious EU Climate Plan

Climate Change Splits U.S. Democrats As Divisions Deepen

In this newsletter:

1) Germany Kills Ambitious EU Climate Plan
GWPF, Forbes & EU Council, 22 March 2019

2) Franco-German Alliance Splinters Over Climate Policy
Politico, 22 March 2019


3) Benny Peiser: Energy Revolts & The Crisis Of Europe’s Green Energy Agenda
De-Greening Day, Amsterdam 7 March 2019
 
4) Marcel Crok: A Historic Victory For Holland’s Climate Sceptics Party
Global Warming Policy Forum, 21 March 2019

5) Climate Change Splits U.S. Democrats As Divisions Deepen
The Hill, 22 March 2019

6) Green Killers: Congo’s Miners Dying To Feed World’s Hunger For Electric Cars
Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times, 10 March 2019

Full details:

1) Germany Kills Ambitious EU Climate Plan
GWPF, Forbes & EU Council, 22 March 2019

The EU Council has just released its summit statement of the European Council meeting. It does not include any 2050 climate commitment or target in what is a big win for climate realists, Eastern European governments and their new German ally.

Germany has broken ranks with other Western countries such as France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands who support a call by the European Commission to meet the 2050 goal.

 

The theatrics of the Brexit crisis are making this week’s European Council summit in Brussels look like 27 against one. But in other business, the European Union is often a story of 15 versus 13. That is, the Western countries who joined the union before 2004, and the Eastern countries who joined after.

The 28 leaders of EU countries are set to adopt a new strategy on action to combat climate change. In light of the student protests spreading across Europe and the world, many leaders in the West had wanted to strengthen the strategy. But this has been fiercely resisted by Eastern European countries led by Poland.

According to a leaked draft of the strategy, Poland is blocking an idea for the EU to commit to climate neutrality by 2050. It is being backed by its usual Eastern allies such as Hungary and the Czech Republic. But Warsaw has found a new ally against climate action which will likely see it win the battle tomorrow – Berlin.

Germany has broken ranks with other Western countries such as France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands who support a call by the European Commission to meet the 2050 goal. The Commission put forward the plan last year.

Full post

UPDATE: The EU has just released its summit statement which does not include any 2050 climate commitment or target in what is a big win for Eastern European governments and their new German ally:

CLIMATE CHANGE

The European Council:

– reiterates its commitment to the Paris Agreement and recognises the need to step up the global efforts to tackle climate change in light of the latest available science, especially the IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels;

– emphasises the importance of the EU submitting an ambitious long-term strategy by 2020 striving for climate neutrality in line with the Paris Agreement, while taking into account Member States’ specificities and the competitiveness of European industry;

– calls for the timely finalisation of the national long-term strategies;

– recognises that the implementation of the Paris Agreement objective offers significant opportunities and potential for economic growth, new jobs and technological development and for strengthening European competitiveness, which must be reaped while ensuring a just and socially balanced transition for all;

– calls on the Council to intensify its work on a long-term climate strategy ahead of a further discussion in the European Council in June 2019
 
2) Franco-German Alliance Splinters Over Climate Policy
Politico, 22 March 2019

The revamped Franco-German alliance is fracturing thanks to the countries’ differing approaches to climate policy.

The rift between Paris and Berlin was evident ahead of a summit of EU leaders on Thursday and Friday where the bloc's long-term climate strategy is on the agenda, according to unpublished documents reviewed by POLITICO.
Climate policy is dividing countries, with some “vehemently opposed” to having any meaningful discussion on the topic at the summit, according to an EU diplomat.

France is spearheading a group of countries that want the EU to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 — meaning the bloc would absorb as much greenhouse gases as it emits. That’s seen as crucial in reaching the more ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

But Germany, long at the forefront of pushing greener policies, is now getting cold feet thanks to the economic and political costs.

The draft summit conclusions are far less ambitious than Paris wanted.

It’s a far cry from France and Germany's mutual declaration to undertake “ambitious actions to combat climate change” when they signed the Treaty of Aachen in January.

The differences between Berlin and Paris can be seen in the diplomatic struggle over the language meant to appear in the summit's climate policy conclusions.

According to draft summit conclusions, dated Wednesday and seen by POLITICO, leaders will “emphasize the importance of the EU submitting an ambitious long-term strategy by 2020 striving for climate neutrality ... while taking into account Member States’ specificities and the competitiveness of European industry,” without committing countries to a deadline. Leaders plan to be “returning to the issue” by the end of this year.

That's far less ambitious than Paris wanted.

Full story
 
3) Benny Peiser: Energy Revolts & The Crisis Of Europe’s Green Energy Agenda
De-Greening Day, Amsterdam 7 March 2019
 

4) Marcel Crok: A Historic Victory For Holland’s Climate Sceptics Party
Global Warming Policy Forum, 21 March 2019

Forum for Democracy (FvD), the Dutch right-wing party led by Thierry Baudet, has gained a landslide victory in yesterday’s provincial elections in The Netherlands.

Forum for Democracy became the biggest party by winning 13 seats in the Senate (out of a total of 75). For the first time since 1917 a new party – FvD was only founded in 2016 – was able to win these elections.

Climate change was a central theme in the elections and the historic victory seems to be a clear signal that Dutch voters increasingly reject the government plans for more ambitious and more costly climate policies.

Baudet strongly opposes these plans. The current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) has a very ambitious climate target of 49% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030. This goal is far more ambitious than the 40% the EU has promised under the Paris Agreement.

Last year around 100 societal stakeholders – from industry to environmental NGO’s – negotiated a climate package that would be needed to reach the 49% target. However, Baudet, whose party won two seats in Parliament in the 2017 general elections, heavily criticised the climate package, saying it was far too costly and would attain a reduction in global temperature of only 0.0003 degree Celsius by 2100. He also announced he intends to leave the Paris Agreement, just like US President Trump did shortly after he entered the White House.

Apart from the climate package an alliance of several government and opposition parties also embraced a climate law with very ambitious goals: a 95% reduction of CO2 and a 100% renewable energy target by 2050. This law passed Parliament late last year but still has to get approval in the Senate. Yesterday’s elections could become a major obstacle now the government lost it’s majority in the Senate. The FvD will likely try to block the climate law in the Senate. Critics are afraid that environmental campaigners will go to court when the law becomes legally binding, just like what happened in the famous Urgenda court case which is forcing the government’s hands.

Marcel Crok is a science writer based in Amsterdam
 
5) Climate Change Splits U.S. Democrats As Divisions Deepen
The Hill, 22 March 2019

Centrist Democrats are pushing back on the fast-paced approach to climate change legislation preferred by “Green New Deal” supporters, arguing instead for a more gradual manner that they think will have a stronger chance of passing and reaching across the aisle.



The press by members of the New Democrat Coalition and other high-ranking lawmakers illustrates two competing views within the caucus: immediate, innovative legislation versus those who prefer slow, incremental legislating.

“The move is going to be gradual and we’re not going to do 100 percent [renewable energy] over 10 years,” Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a leader of the New Democrat Coalition’s climate change task force, told reporters last week when asked what kind of legislation the group would pursue.

It’s a very different message than the one that came from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who both introduced the Green New Deal resolution in February.

Ocasio-Cortez called it a “comprehensive agenda of economic, social and racial justice,” while Markey referred to the resolution as a time for the party to be “bold once again.”

The party division is likely to slow work by Democrats on climate change, and advocacy groups are growing frustrated by the inaction almost three months into the new House Democratic majority.

Meanwhile, Republicans are eager to exploit the intra-party division with a Senate vote on the Green New Deal expected next week. The progressive plan, backed to some extent by every Democratic presidential hopeful in the Senate, calls for transitioning the U.S. to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Speaking to reporters last week, members of the new New Democrat Coalition’s task force on climate change laid out their plans to introduce what they branded realistic climate change initiatives.

“The Green New Deal is aspirational, but what we plan to do is offer tangible achievable things, not just a resolution,” Luria said. “The entire plan of the task force is to find ways to attack this incrementally.”
The lawmakers argued it’s better to take the time to draft complete, heavily vetted legislation with a clear focus, than charge forward with a bill that might have holes.

It’s a timeline that can’t be rushed, he added, pointing to the Clean Air Act of 1963, which he said was created “without a full understanding” of the science, and an exercise he didn’t want to see repeated.

Full post
 
6) Green Killers: Congo’s Miners Dying To Feed World’s Hunger For Electric Cars
Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times, 10 March 2019

Exploited by Chinese firms, workers as young as nine risk their lives to feed the world’s growing hunger for cobalt. 

Solange Kanena sits on her broken orange sofa, heavily pregnant, resting. Looking around her three-room shack, she wonders how she will feed her eight children. Her husband died in a mining accident 10 days ago.

She has never held an iPhone and has no idea what an electric car is. But when the deep, muddy tunnel collapsed on her husband, he was digging for a commodity that is critical to the batteries of both: cobalt.

Last year about 70% of the world’s supply came from the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the poorest, most violent and corrupt places on Earth. Much of its cobalt comes from around this town.

“Without DR Congo there is no electric car industry and no green revolution,” said Anneke Van Woudenberg, head of Rights and Accountability in Development (Raid), a UK-based campaign group.

It is estimated that 125m electric vehicles will be on the road by 2030, about 40 times more than at present. Britain is among a number of countries planning to phase out petrol and diesel in the next 20 years.

However, while electric car owners might feel happy about cutting carbon emissions, the dark side of the green revolution is all too visible in Kolwezi’s modern-day gold rush.


Solange Kanena’s husband died in a mining accident; she is pregnant with her ninth child.
Image: PAULA BRONSTEIN

In the shadow of shafts dug by huge multinational companies such as Glencore is what looks like a human anthill, one of the “artisanal” mines that account for 20% of production. Child labour is common and safety standards are non-existent.

In the Cinq Ans district, beneath every house is a warren of tunnels and holes, covered with sheets of orange tarpaulin, as hundreds of men and women dig into the red mud and children scurry about, bringing yellow jerrycans of water. There is even a hole beside a church where a gospel choir is in full song.

Known as creuseurs, or diggers, the miners use no equipment more sophisticated than spades, shovels and plastic head torches as they burrow into the ground looking for the tell-tale blue veins of cobalt. Those who strike lucky fill sacks with the metallic grey sludge.

Two holes sink to a dizzying depth in Tabue Joseph’s garden, where scrawny chickens peck at the earth. “A few years ago a local guy was digging a latrine in his yard and came across cobalt, so we all started,” he said.

“The conditions of mines are terrible,” said Josue Kashal, a lawyer for miners. “Any time a tunnel can collapse, but they keep going.”

Kanena knew how dangerous the job was. “I knew it was risky, particularly these days when it is raining,” she said. “But there is no other work.”

On February 28, when Alain did not come home she went to the hospital. “I found his dead body and collapsed crying,” she said.

There were nine bodies in all. But no accident was reported. According to Kashal, accidents are often kept secret: “They know the government and other partners may use it as an excuse to close the artisan mines and take over the land.”

Full Story

The London-based Global Warming Policy Forum is a world leading think tank on global warming policy issues. The GWPF newsletter is prepared by Director Dr Benny Peiser - for more information, please visit the website at www.thegwpf.com.