Rhein on Energy and Climate

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Munich-Re, the big re-insurance company, which has been following natural catastrophes very scrupulous for many years, has just submitted its traditional damage report for 2010. 950 natural catastrophes were registered last year, the highest number since 1980, causing financial damage of $ 130 billion, just about equal to the average of the past 10 years.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

For the first time in decades, EU agricultural expenditures will fall in 2011. The three percent decline constitutes a European contribution to the national austerity regimes. Nevertheless, with € 56.4 billion CAP expenditures will still account for 41 percent of 2011 EU budget expenditures. Fearing more cuts in the future, the French Agricultural Minister Bruno… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Among the 27 EU member states Germany pursues the most ambitious climate targets. By 2020 its C02 emissions should be 40 percent below 1990 levels. To that end, the government bets on a variety of actions ranging from C02 taxes, feed-in tariffs for renewable energy and, last not least, a programme for the energetic overhaul… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

In 2010, Australia has been haunted by two unprecedented natural catastrophes, a severe drought in February and a flood of biblical dimensions in December. The latter has flooded an area of the size of France and Germany combined, fortunately very sparsely populated, but still causing damage to agriculture in the order of $ 1 billion… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Starting January 1st 2011, tiny Estonia has joined the Euro zone as its 17th member country. After Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia it is the fifth Euro country among the 14 countries that have joined the EU after 2003. By joining the Euro zone Estonia fulfils the commitments taken in 2004 to introduce the Euro… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The unusually harsh 2010 winter in Europe has led to much higher consumption of coal and gas to warm homes and offices, and it naturally leads one to query about the ways our children and grandchildren will heat their homes 40 years from today. The European Union aims at reducing its CO2 emissions by at… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Over the coming 30 years the volume of intra- European passenger and goods traffic is expected to rise substantially, due to more intensive economic activity and leisure time. Most of the extra traffic will turn to the roads, thereby causing more saturation, traffic jams, C02 emissions and other environmental nuisances. The top priority for European… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Once again the State of California takes the world by surprise. Only a few weeks after President Obama had to concede defeat in his efforts to pass national legislation on reducing green house gas emissions the biggest US State by population and GDP acts on its own. The new legislation, due to enter into force… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Iran with a population of only 60 million ranks tenth in the world among C02 emitter countries. Its per capita C02 emissions amount to almost 8 tons, equal to Italy, and extremely high for a country with a relatively low level of economic development. Two major reasons account for this situation. First Iran is the… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

When the European Council will conclude its deliberations December 16th, Brussels will make a sigh of relief. This has been arguably one of the most difficult years the EU ever had to master. But despite the accidents on the road, the EU deserves good notes. It has achieved much more in than expected at its… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein