Rhein on Energy and Climate

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The UN Climate Summit on September 24, 2014 has once again underlined the threat of global warming and climate change for future generations but stopped short of responses to what constitutes the overriding challenge for Humanity. A mobilisation event is not enough, even if the thousands of people that flocked the streets in USA and… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

On September 18, the UN Security has unanimously passed a resolution, co-sponsored by 131(!) governments, calling the outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone a “threat to international peace and security” and asking countries world-wide for urgent medical personnel and supplies to contain the outbreak. UN and WHO have waited nine months after… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Poland has been a laggard in European Climate Policy. Its substantial coal reserves, second to those of Germany, and a powerful coal lobby have prevented the country for a long time from waking up to the climate challenge. No wonder that coal continues to account for more than half of its energy consumption and more… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The division of Commission services into one dealing with energy policy and another one with climate change policy has always been an artificial one: to influence climate change policy makers have to rely on energy policy. It is therefore positive to recombine the two sides of the coin under a single command and put an… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Mr. Abbot`s new liberal-conservative government has been elected on the promise to abolish the carbon tax on mining, coal power and air transport companies introduced by his predecessor to contain excessively high Australian green house gas emissions. As of first July 2014 the carbon tax has been formally repealed. The new government claims that electricity… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

During the last 50 years global energy demand has risen at an unprecedented pace and is expected to continue rising further in the wake of growing world population and prosperity. These trends are not sustainable. The energy resources (coal, oil, gas, uranium) are finite and burning them is bound to accelerate climate change to a… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

For years Bavarian politicians have been pushing for highway user fees for non-German cars. Now they may have come closer their goal. On 7 July, the German transport minister (CSU) has presented his plans, which should be turned into legislation before the beginning of 2016. They foresee the introduction of mandatory vignettes for passenger cars… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

The new Egyptian President, Fattah el-Sissi, has inherited a country in political, social and economic disarray. Starting with demographic growth of 1.7%, all major data indicate unsustainable trends: a budget deficit of 10% of the GDP, a public debt close to 100% of GDP, a 9% inflation rate and an explosive balance of payment gap.… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

One of the strange phenomena of the European integration process is the slowness with which transnational business has replaced traditional structures. Business, whatever sector, has stayed for a long time where it had been before 1958. While intra-European trade has flourished companies did not feel much need to join hands with neighbouring competitors and prepare… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein

Among the four basic freedoms the EU offers its citizens free movement of labour has traditionally lagged behind, due to cultural and linguistic obstacles and, above all a natural of human longing to stay close to their home. The economic crisis with its unprecedented high unemployment rates, especially among young people, and high income differentials… » read more

Posted by Eberhard Rhein