Less electricity generated in Germany, renewable sources now dominate
2023/12/06

A general view of the Dolwin Alpha offshore wind farm. Significantly less electricity was generated in Germany in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year due to weaker demand as a result of the economic situation and energy imports from abroad. 

Sina Schuldt/dpa

Significantly less electricity was generated in Germany in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year due to weaker demand as a result of the economic situation and energy imports from abroad.

The volume fell by some 20% to 94.2 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter, the Federal Statistical Office, or Destatis, reported on Wednesday.

"The reasons for the decline are likely to have been a lower demand for electricity as a result of the economic slowdown in energy-intensive industries and the increased import of electricity from abroad," explained the authority.

The amount of electricity imported into Germany grew by 78.1% to 23.1 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter. Denmark, France and the Netherlands were among the most important exporting countries. At the same time, the amount of electricity exported fell by some 38% to 9.9 billion kilowatt hours.

According to the statisticians, renewable sources predominate in domestically generated electricity. In the third quarter, electricity generation from renewable energies rose by some 8% compared to the same quarter of the previous year, accounting for 60.2% of the total electricity generated - significantly more than a year earlier, when it was 44.4%.

In contrast, generation from conventional energy sources fell by 42.9% and accounted for almost 40% of total electricity generation.

Electricity generation from wind power rose by some 16% in the third quarter and was the most important energy source in domestic electricity generation, accounting for just under a quarter.

The feed-in of electricity from photovoltaics increased by 6.6%, accounting for a share of 21.5%. The feed-in of electricity generated from natural gas rose by some 10%.

In contrast, the amount of electricity generated in coal-fired power plants fell by almost half, or 47.3%, and still accounted for 23.9%. In the same period of the previous year, coal-fired electricity accounted for some 36% of domestic electricity generation and was the most important energy source in electricity generation in 2022 as a whole.

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Dubai COP28 is 'last gasp' for fossil fuels, German minister says

Svenja Schulze, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, speaks at the German-Ukrainian municipal partnership conference in Leipzig. The UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai is witnessing "a last gasp from the fossil fuel industry," according to German Development Minister Schulze.

 Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

DPA
2023/12/07

The UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai is witnessing "a last gasp from the fossil fuel industry," according to German Development Minister Svenja Schulze.

"But ultimately, the oil countries themselves have long known that their business model will disappear and are therefore investing heavily in renewable energies," she said.

The Social Democrat (SPD) politician made the comments to the German newspaper Rheinische Post, in remarks published on Thursday as the COP28 continues in the Arabian desert state.

In her view, it is certain that the phase-out of coal, oil and gas will happen. "Whether it will be decided in Dubai is uncertain," she said.

Germany's special envoy on climate issues, Jennifer Morgan, still sees major differences between individual countries regarding the goal of agreeing to phase out fossil fuels. However, she also senses the "will to make progress" among numerous signatory states.

"Status quo is not an option. Transformation is the only option. Everyone must realize that we are fighting for the energy system of the future," Morgan told the newspaper.

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ICYMI
Climate policy stagnating in countries across the globe, NGOs warn
2023/12/08

Climate activists hold signs reading "End Fossil Fuels" during a protest at the EXPO site in Dubai. The main topics at this year's UN Climate Change Conference include financing for the damage caused by climate change. 

Hannes P. Albert/dpa

The world is no closer to reaching the climate goals outlined in the 2015 Paris agreement, despite a boom in renewable energy, environmental organizations reported on Friday.

Until there is a drastic decline in fossil fuel use, global emissions cannot be halved by 2030 as aimed for, the NGOs Germanwatch and NewClimate Institute report.

In their yearly assessment, the organizations reviewed the climate policies of 63 countries as well as the European Union, together responsible for more than 90% of global emissions.

"For the first time, not a single country ranks 'high' in the category climate policy," said co-author Niklas Höhne of the NewClimate Institute.

Even Denmark, which leads the rankings, appears to be further away from the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as agreed upon during the 2015 UN Climate Conference in Paris.

Brazil and Vietnam have shown the most progress, while Italy and Britain are falling behind. Major polluters China and the United States continued to perform poorly.

Brazil saw significant improvement, catapulting from 38th to 23rd place year-on-year after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office.

Unsurprisingly, oil producing countries, including the host of the COP28 climate conference the United Arab Emirates, rank at the bottom.

Höhne appealed to countries to "switch to emergency mode."

"Emissions must be almost halved worldwide by 2030 in order to avoid an escalation of the climate crisis," he said.

Jan Burck, one of the study's authors, emphasized that the COP28 conference plays a "crucial role" in getting countries to multiply their climate efforts. He called for a tripling of renewable energy capacity, a doubling of energy efficiency and a drastic reduction of coal, oil and gas before 2030.

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CO2 emissions to hit new record in 2023, experts find
2023/12/05

Smoke billows from the chimney of the Schkopau lignite-fired power plant.

 Jan Woitas/dpa/dpa-tmn

Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are predicted to reach a new record of 36.8 billion tons this year, according to findings published in the Global Carbon Budget on Tuesday by the University of Exeter in Britain.

The data is compiled annually by a team of more than 120 experts, led by Pierre Friedlingstein of the university's Global Systems Institute.

The 2023 figure is up 1,1% up on the previous year and 1.4% higher than in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

The effects of climate change were apparent everywhere, while the measures for cutting emissions from fossil fuels remained "painfully slow," Friedlingstein said.

CO2 levels in the air have now reached an average 419.3 parts per million (ppm), up 51% on the level in 1750 before the start of the industrial era.

The 1.5-degree target set by the 2015 Paris Climate Accord would inevitably be breached, said one of the lead authors, Julia Pongratz of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.

She pointed to evidence from recent years of the drastic consequences of climate change. Every tenth of a degree counted, Pongratz said.

The remaining carbon budget available to ensure a 50% chance of staying within the Paris target will be used up in seven years, based on current emissions levels, the authors predicted.

Based on their computer models, the authors have found that India emitted 8.2% more CO2 from fossil fuels this year than in 2022 and now exceeds total EU emissions. China, which is responsible for 31% of all CO2 emissions, emitted 4% more than it did last year.

By contrast, the United States, which is responsible for 14% of global CO2 emissions, cut its emissions by 3% over the year, and the EU cut its emissions by 7.4%.

The rest of the world is also showing a marginally positive trend, with a reduction of 0.4%.

Emissions from land-use change, especially deforestation, have shown a "small but uncertain decline" over the past two decades, according to the report.

The highest net CO2 emissions from land-use change for the period 2013-22 were from Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which together contributed 55% of the global net land-use change in emissions.

"Emissions from permanent deforestation remain too high to be offset by current CO2 removals from reforestation and afforestation," the report concluded.

The report for the first time notes reductions in atmospheric CO2 through technical measures, such as carbon capture and storage, which currently come to just 0.01 megatons. "This is more than a million times smaller than current fossil CO2 emissions," it said.

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Coup generals in trouble as Myanmar's military faces heavy losses

2023/12/04

Military weapons confiscated by an armed group in Loikaw, Karenni State. In many parts of Myanmar, ethnic groups are currently fighting successfully against the junta. 

Myo Satt Hla Thaw/dpa

There is an ominous atmosphere in the town of Chinshwehaw on the China-Myanmar border where soldiers from the Burmese army and its allied militias used to bustle through the streets.

That changed last month, in an operation launched by the Three Brotherhood Alliances. Local fighters say they gained control of the Chinshwehaw border gate area in just three days, in what they call “the 1027 operation.”

Now, it is the flags of the armed resistance that are waving in Chinshwehaw, the second largest trade border gate with China.

The scene in the Kokang self-administered region has become a nightmare for the Burmese military - and not the only one. The flags of the opposition are also flying in Pensai, another key town.

Much is changing in Myanmar since the violent coup of 2021 when military leaders ousted de facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi, then imposed brutal rule over the country.

Resistance fighters are making gains as local militias - in this case the National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) - fight back in the biggest challenge for the military since the coup.

The ruling generals face battles nationwide. Armed groups have risen up and taken over towns and military posts in Chin State on the border with India and Bangladesh, in Karenni State in the far east, in Rakhine State, in Kachin State and in the Sagaing region.

“As of now, we have occupied at least 180 bases and outposts of the Burmese military in Northern Shan State, with our allies. We occupied major towns on the China-Myanmar border as well,” Li Kyar Wen, an MNDAA spokesperson, told dpa.

The once-dominant Burmese military and its border guards have vanished in those areas, replaced by the MNDAA and its allies.

The Brotherhood Alliance of three ethnic armed groups is made up of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA). These groups are known to be close to China.

The operation is also joined by popular defence forces including the Bamar People's Liberation Army (BPLA) and the Mandalay PDF.

The MNDAA has dubbed the events of 1027 as the "Battle of Homecoming," their attempt to reclaim Laukkai, the capital they were forced to desert in 2009 by the Burmese military.

In Shan State, the “1027 Operation” is a huge blow to the military which has been embroiled in conflicts with ethnic armed groups nationwide for more than seven decades.

More than 200 soldiers from the Burmese military have been killed since 1027, said Li Kyar Wen. The Brotherhood Alliance says more than 300 soldiers capitulated as the Brotherhood Alliance attacked their posts and bases in northern Shan State.

Beijing is watching with concern. The Brotherhood Alliance has seized at least six towns in China-Myanmar border areas, where China plans to implement strategic projects under its Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese border area in Myanmar is known for casinos and online scam enterprises, where people are forced to work as online scammers by criminal groups.

These sites in northern Shan State, the Wa self-administered region, Kokang self-administered region and Mongla self-administered region - known as the 'City of Sins' - mainly rely on Chinese money and gamblers.

But Beijing recently cracked down on cyber scams in Northern Shan State. In November, China's Ministry of Public Security announced that 31,000 people from Nothern Shan State, have been arrested and transferred to China for their involvement in online fraud.

“China appears dissatisfied with the current political and security power balance in Northern Shan State,” Nan Lwin, programme head of China Studies at the ISP-Myanmar, an independent think-tank focusing on peace, conflict and China, told dpa.

While "Operation 1027" could lead to short-term regional instability in Northern Shan State, China might still tolerate it as the operation could help resolve the online fraud and gambling gangs crisis in the short term, says ISP-Myanmar.

Meanwhile the fighting is causing growing displacement. More than 50,000 people fled their homes due to clashes, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Myanmar.

Local media in Shan say at least 30,000 of those who fled are on the border, while 8,000 crossed into China.

More is ahead as the MNDAA plans to launch an attack on Laukkai, the capital of Kokang, the hub of online gambling and cyber-fraud operations.

The military and MNDAA are currently blocking the town gates, leading to fears among residents of food shortages, given the region's heavy dependence on China for essential goods.

Uprisings are taking place across the country as ethnic armed groups and resistance forces launch operations against the military, particularly in Kachin, Karenni and Rakhine States and Sagaing Region.

The Kareni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) in Karenni occupied eight military bases and outposts in the state and seized a university in Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State.

The Arakan Army (AA) also seized four military and police outposts in Rakhine State. Junta forces deserted more than 40 military outposts as the AA says it launched a series of attacks in those areas.

Besides northern Shan State, more than 100 soldiers also surrendered mainly the Karenni and other armed conflict areas, say resistance forces.

The many groups are pursuing similar goals: Self-determination.

“All the allied forces across the country are currently engaged in a collective effort combating the military regime to pave the way for the establishment of a federal democracy,” says Khun Beedu, the leader of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF).

“While there may be some collateral damages and losses during the operations, the ultimate goal is to completely eradicate the junta regime,” he said.

Members of an armed group in Loikaw, Karenni State, help civilians after a military strike by the military. In many parts of Myanmar, ethnic groups are currently fighting successfully against the junta. Myo Satt Hla Thaw/dpa

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END WOLF HUNTING
German environment ministers discuss making wolf shooting easier

PROTECT THEM NOT COWS
2023/11/30

German Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection Steffi Lemke speaks during a session of the German Bundestag. 

Melissa Erichsen/dpa

Germany's federal and state environment ministers have agreed on the need for action following a significant increase in wolf attacks on livestock in Germany.

However, proposals by Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke to allow faster shooting of individual problem wolves do not go far enough for all state representatives.

The issue was the central topic at the ministers' two-day autumn conference in the western city of Münster on Thursday.

A research project by the German Agency for Nature Conservation found the number of attacks on livestock rose to 1,136 cases in 2022.

In the process, 4,366 farm animals were killed or injured. Sheep were the most affected (3,778 cases), followed by cattle (260), wild game (184) and goats (91). Compared to 2021, the number of attacks increased by 17% and the number of farm animals affected by 29%.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment says there have been no wolf attacks on humans since the animal returned to Germany over 20 years ago.

Lemke proposes that if a wolf has overcome protective measures such as a fence and killed a grazing animal, shooting it should be allowed within a 21-day period by special permit - within a radius of 1,000 metres around the pasture. Unlike in the past, it will not be necessary to wait for a DNA analysis first.

That doesn't go far enough for some of the states. Bavaria, for example, is calling on Lemke to lower the legal hurdles and protection status further.

The federal government emphasizes herd protection measures such as fences and livestock guarding dogs as the most effective measures.

The German Agency for Nature Conservation says 12 wolves have been killed across Germany with official authorization since 2017.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

German insurers say blown-up ATMs cost €110m in damages in 2022

2023/12/06

A destroyed ATM stands in a shopping center in Neu-Hohenschoenhausen after perpetrators have blown it up. Some €110 million ($118.6 million) in damage was caused by cash machines, or ATMs, being blown up in Germany last year, the German insurance industry said on Wednesday. 

Paul Zinken/dpa

Some €110 million ($118.6 million) in damage was caused by cash machines, or ATMs, being blown up in Germany last year, the German insurance industry said on Wednesday.

"Cash accounted for around €30 million of this," Anja Käfer-Rohrbach, deputy managing director of the German Insurance Association (GDV), explained.

In 2022, the police registered a new high of 496 cases of ATMs being blown up, according to the GDV. In the previous year, there had been around 100 fewer cases. In total, there are around 55,000 ATMs in Germany.

As possible preventative measures, the association suggests closing bank lobbies at night, installing burglar alarms and video surveillance and colouring banknotes to mark them.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Report: German Football Federation made €4.2 million loss in 2022

2023/12/08

A microphone with the German Football Federation logo lies on a chair during a press conference. The German Football Federation e.V. made a loss of €4.2 million ($4.5 million) in 2022, business newspaper Handelsblatt reported on 08 December. 

Sebastian Gollnow/dpa

The German Football Federation e.V. made a loss of €4.2 million ($4.5 million) in 2022, business newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Friday.

Without special items, the loss would have been as high as €17.5 million, the report added.

It is "still an acceptable financial result overall, considering that the national team was eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar and we are now dealing with a structural deficit," finance director Stephan Grunwald was quoted as saying.

If next year's European Championship also proves to be a disappointment for the German men's team in front of a home crowd, "we will have a more serious problem," added Grunwald.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Further Signa Holdings companies file for bankruptcy
2023/12/06

Austrian real estate entrepreneur Rene Benko arrives to attend the Rheinische Post's Standehaus meeting. The fallout from the bankruptcy of Austrian real estate and retail mogul Rene Benko's Signa Group continued on Wednesday, as further German subsidiaries filed for insolvency 

Marcel Kusch/dpa

The fallout from the bankruptcy of Austrian real estate and retail mogul René Benko's Signa Group continued on Wednesday, as further German subsidiaries filed for insolvency

The Frankfurt-based Signa Financial Services and the Munich-based Signa REM Germany Rent both sought bankruptcy protection in Berlin, according to court filings. Berlin lawyer Torsten Martini was appointed as provisional bankruptcy administrator in both cases.

The parent company, Benko's Signa Holding, had previously applied for restructuring proceedings with a court in Vienna.

The real estate and retail group consists of a complex network of companies with several hundred individual companies.

Other Signa Holdings companies - including German department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof and sporting goods retailer SportScheck - also applied for bankruptcy. Both those retail chains are seeking potential buyers, according to the companies.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Here's how to say "Donald Trump" in American Sign Language. 

The Swiss Deaf Association had earlier chosen it as sign of the year.

Greta Thunberg and other climate activists accuse Israel of genocide
2023/12/05

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks at a press conference during the UN Climate Change Conference. 

Henning Kaiser/dpa

Climate activist Greta Thunberg and other leading figures in Fridays for Future Sweden have accused Israel of war crimes and genocide in a piece published on Tuesday in Sweden's Aftonbladet and Britain's Guardian newspapers.

"The horrific murders of Israeli civilians by Hamas cannot in any way legitimise Israel's ongoing war crimes. Genocide is not self-defence, nor is it in any way a proportionate response," they write.

Thunberg and four other signatories emphasised that they were speaking only on behalf of Fridays for Future in Sweden, adding that the organization had always spoken up "when people suffer, are forced to flee their homes or are killed – regardless of the cause."

They pointed to strikes held in solidarity with marginalized groups in Norway, Kurdistan and Ukraine.

And they cited the prominent Israeli genocide expert Raz Segal, who has called Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip "a textbook case of genocide."

The authors also condemned anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents in Sweden. "Everyone speaking out on this crisis has a responsibility to distinguish between Hamas, Muslims and Palestinians; and between the state of Israel, Jewish people and Israelis," they write.

In October, Thunberg drew criticism for sharing an Instagram post from a German-based pro-Palestinian group in which Israel is accused of genocide. Others in the movement have distanced themselves, in particular prominent German climate activist Lisa Neubauer.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Former Irish president Robinson: Gaza deaths could be blamed on US

2023/12/06

Former Irish president Mary Robinson at the 2017 Munich Security Conference in the Bayerische Hof in Munich. Former Irish president Mary Robinson has called on the United States to make arms deliveries to Israel conditional on restraint in the Gaza war, otherwise Washington risks being linked to civilian casualties in the fighting, she warned. 

picture alliance / Tobias Hase/dpa

Former Irish president Mary Robinson has called on the United States to make arms deliveries to Israel conditional on restraint in the Gaza war, otherwise Washington risks being linked to civilian casualties in the fighting, she warned.

The scale of killings of innocent civilians in Gaza is unacceptable and purely verbal calls for restraint are not enough, Robinson told the US news channel CNN on Wednesday.

Robinson chairs the Elders, an international non-governmental organization (NGO) of senior statesmen and women, peace activists and human rights advocates, which was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007.

"So we, as Elders are asking that countries that provide military aid, notably the United States, to Israel, now have to urgently review military assistance and put in place conditions for any future provision," she said.

"Those who have power to restrain must now restrain, and that in particular is the United States," said Robinson.

© Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH

Israel: 10,000 tons of US army equipment received since start of war
2023/12/06

Israeli military members take part in a drill north of Qatsrin in the Golan Heights. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

According to Israeli figures, more than 10,000 tons of military equipment have been delivered to Israel by the US since the beginning of the Gaza war.

The 200th cargo plane carrying such equipment has landed, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday. Among others, armoured vehicles, ammunition, personal protection equipment and medical equipment have been delivered as part of a joint initiative led by the US Department of Defence in conjunction with Israel.

Washington is Israel's most important ally. The US government has repeatedly reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defence since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7.

However, due to the high number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel's attacks, the US government is also taking an increasingly cautionary tone. It is calling on Israel to provide more effective protection for civilians in the war against the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement.

In the past, the US has supported Israel with military aid worth billions.

The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, carried out by Hamas terrorists and other terrorist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 1,200 people were killed.

In response, Israel launched massive airstrikes and, since the end of October, a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 16,200 people have now been killed in Gaza. This cannot be independently verified at present, but the UN and observers point out that the authority's figures have proved to be generally credible in the past.

Israeli military members take part in a drill north of Qatsrin in the Golan Heights. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

Israeli military members take part in a drill north of Qatsrin in the Golan Heights. Ilia Yefimovich/dpa

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