Rhein on Energy and Climate

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The top UN climate official, Ms. Christiana Figueres, has been of an unprecedented “bluntness” when telling coal industry officials that “coal must change rapidly and dramatically”. Her declaration was echoed by a statement distributed by 27 leading scientists from across the world urging that most fossil energy energy reserves have to stay in the ground… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

It has never happened before in any of the preceding climate conferences! Delegates take to hunger strike! Demonstrations have become more vociferous: against Polish coal-fired power plants, Australia scaling back climate targets to ridiculous five per cent reductions of C02 and Japanese further rise of C02 emissions! Finally, Warsaw has shown the beginning of an… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Humanity is lost in a fatal inconsistency. At the very moment when the COP 19 in Warsaw is supposed to define the path towards a low-emission future that would prevent global temperatures from rising beyond two centigrade, the IEA “2013 World Energy Report” projects global energy demand to increase from 13 billion tons oil equivalent… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

From 11 November to 22 November, the 19th international climate conference (COP19) opened in Warsaw – the capital of Poland and the most reticent EU country on climate policies. Two reasons account for the Polish resistance against a resolute climate policy. Conservative intellectuals and media deny the existence of climate change. A conservative periodical –… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The 21st century will enter history as the era of total “monetisation”. Every action, every achievement will be coined in monetary terms. With a small majority of 37 to 30 the socialist- dominated parliament of the tiny tourist paradise of Malta has just decided to sell its citizenship at a price of € 650 000.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Historically, governments in Western countries used to stay in office for four years, a heritage of two centuries US constitutional tradition. For the majority of EU member countries four years continue to be the norm, though some like UK, France and Italy have shifted to five years and others like Germany may consider doing so… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

From November 11 to 22, Warsaw will host the 19th UN Climate Conference. It will follow the usual bureaucratic agenda that allows for little time to deal with the essentials. This time, moreover, it will spend more time on “climate adaptation”, a sign that the organisers have increasing doubts about Man’s ability to mitigate climate… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Policy makers should stop talking about “climate policy”. It is energy policy that matters to preserve the global climate. It should secure our energy supply without causing havoc to environment. It is still too much focused on providing low-priced energy. Climate scientists tell us convincingly that Humanity must stop emitting greenhouse gases long before the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein