Energy and Climate

Introduction

Ecology and sustainable development are central areas for securing the future of humanity. It is to the credit of the green movement within and outside parliaments that ecology has become one of the main arenas of politics. There is hardly another subject which, within the last 30 years, has been thus transformed from the concern of a few scientists, activists (often thought of as "nutters") into a topic of world conferences.
On the other hand the 1997 UN summit Rio+ 5 produced a sobering account of the state of sustainable policy: Almost universally the agenda of ecological change has been displaced by the agenda of globalisation. This trend is noticable in Germany, too, where unemployment and the controversy concerning investor-friendly policy have superseded ecology as main issues of political debate.
At present the Heinrich Böll Foundation puts the main emphasis on the areas global energy and climate policy, i.e. discussions about the opportunities of renewable energy and the problems of nuclear power.

Climate

Sharing Solutions: Transatlantic Cooperation for a low carbon economy

September 16, 2011 - This publication analyzes conditions for progressive climate and energy policy at the regional and state level. It discusses how regions with a strong coal, manufacturing or rural economy are affected by climate and energy policies, and how way policies should be designed to soften the impact of structural change toward a low-carbon economy. more»

NGOs and Climate Crisis: Fragmentation, Lines of Conflict and Strategic Approaches

- Climate policy active NGOs and movements are fragmented and characterized by heterogeneous interests. Cleavages exist in important issues and the choice of strategies. A discussion of complementary strategies and division of labor is an urgent need.
Barbara Unmüßig

Prague seminar and papers on way ahead from Copenhagen

 - February 15, 2010 - The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (HBS) follows up on the outcome of the Copenhagen summit with the Prague seminar on March 3 and a series of analysis: Sascha Müller-Kraenner looks at how Europe can revive the multilateral climate proceedings with a convincing strategy and the HBS staff from around the globe provides in the study "Failure or Opportunity ?" the sum up of how the outcome of COP 15 is perceived in different regions. Follow the proceeding of the Prague seminar on video. more here »

Copenhagen Climate Conference

 - December 7, 2009 - From December 7 to 18, 2009 the climate summit in Copenhagen is taking place. Briefing Paper of Heinrich Böll Foundation and German Watch titled "Substance or Greenwash Show?" identifies main dangers for a Greenwash agreement in Copenhagen and provides background information about the conference topics. more»

Conference

Road to Copenhagen: The EU and the US – Driving Forces for a Succesful Post 2012 Agreement?

 - October 5, 2009 - The conference organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Ministry of Environment provided good opportunity for exchange and debate among the climate diplomats, government officials, experts, business and NGOs representatives and interested public (over 160 participants). The main aim of the conference, the biggest of its kind in the new EU member states this year, was to assess where the EU, USA and other key players stay shortly before the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP 15) this December. more»

Refocusing Europe's Leadership Role in Climate Change

 - October 7, 2009 - “What Europe must understand is that its real leadership ambition should concentrate
on being the first to create a low carbon economy. The real breakthrough for
climate policy will not come through diplomacy. Rather, the breakthrough will come
as countries learn to understand that saving the climate will help save their economies
and safeguard their security.” Reinhard Bütikofer»

Climate Justice vs A Deal in Copenhagen

 - July 23, 2009 - Negotiations for a post-2012 international climate change agreement are in full swing. Delirious negotiators are racking up their frequent flyer ‘carbon’ miles and this is set to continue; recent negotiations in Bonn were so unsuccessful that government officials do not even hide their displeasure at the fact that they will have to return to the city during their August vacation to spend more time in the familiar confines of the Maritim Hotel. Roderick Kefferpütz, Claude Weinber more»

Energy

Future of the energy systems

October 28, 2011 - The international conference "What the future of energy systems willl be?" on 13. October in Prague fostered an international debate on the cost of nuclear power, the prospects of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. During the conference, The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2010-2011 and update was presented by its lead author, Mycle Schneider, and we offer you video of his presentation as well as PPTs presentations of other internationally and locally renowned energy experts.

 

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Perceptions of the Fukushima disaster in Europe

- While the full extent of the Fukushima disaster and its long term damage will remain unclear for some time to come, this dossier gathers snap-shots of how Fukushima is perceived in the different European countries. How do the people, the media and politics react to and deal with the events? And in what way and to what extent does it affect discussions about the future of nuclear power?

Myths of nuclear power - a guide

- The Heinrich Böll Foundation has commissioned renowned international nuclear experts to deliver detailed facts central to the myths of nuclear energy. This overview provides the public with a current, facts rich and nuclear-critical know-how. Among others, Steve Thomas shows the true cost of nuclear power and makes it clear that nuclear energy in the free market economy without government support is not competitive.

Energy of the Future? Nuclear energy in CEE.

 - February 21, 2011 - The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, in cooperation with Hnutí DUHA and the Czech branch of the international organisation WISE, has attempted to describe in greater detail the causes and manifestations of nuclear energy’s exceptional position in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The result is this publication, which contains contributions by experts from five countries in the region: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. HBF's publication more»

Analysis of the Czech National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP)

On the 1st of December 2010 "Hnutí Duha", "Calla" and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague organized in cooperation with the Green European Foundation a seminar on the future perspectives of renewable energy in the Czech Republic. In this framework the latest of GEF´s analyses of National Renewable Energy Action Plans was presented by its author Petr Holub.

The Use of Proceeds from Emissions Trading in the Czech Republic

 - October 5, 2010 - International trading in greenhouse gas emissions has raised a number of questions from its very inception. Aren’t the wealthiest countries just using it as an inexpensive way to purchase purely formal relief from fulfilling their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol?  The example of the Czech Republic illustrates how this mechanism can be used to reduce emissions as well as to support job creation in the regions. Aleš Kuták more»

The photovoltaic sector in Germany: Survived one crisis but facing the next one?

 - June 25, 2010 -

Over the last two years, most industrial branches in Europe have felt the consequences of the financial and economic crisis. The German renewable energy sector, however, like the eco-insdustry in general, seems to be an exception. What are the reasons behind this counter trend? And will it be endangered by the current reduction of the feed-in tariff for solar power? Also the consequences of the revision of the nuclear phase out in Germany for the renewables are examined in the separate article by Lisa Reichmann.

Lisa Reichmann more»

International conference

"Greening the Economy" Conference

- The international conference in Berlin on May 28-29 deals with the political framework, regulatory instruments, as well as leading technologies, key projects and new alliances for the economic-ecologic turnaround. Watch live stream from the conference and read other texts available.

European Energy Policy - conference

 - March 12, 2010 - Energy policy is one of the key policies of the future. The alternatives are clear: either the end of the fossil age will be rapidly heralded in or the magnitude of climate change will profoundly change life on earth. Technically speaking, it would be feasible to say goodbye to coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power. Political steps now have to be taken to drive the transition to the age of renewable energies. Energy policy is one of the key policies of the future.

 

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Who will build the new Temelin?

 - November 13, 2009 - ČEZ has issued a tender for the construction of new nuclear reactors at Temelín. The course and results of similar tenders completed elsewhere in Europe and around the world this year have already made it clear which firms plan to compete for this commission. Karel Polanecký and Martin Sedlák more»

ERENE - IRENA. Contradiction? Duplication? Complement?

 - June 23, 2009 - Political action in the context of the multi-level system is becoming ever more essential. This is true especially when it comes to coping with problems of a global dimension. Against this background, the relationship between ERENE and IRENA should be seen as the relationship between two institutions whose aim it is to further the use of renewable energy with a view to mitigating climate change, providing energy security and promoting sustainable economic growth. Michaele Schreyer more»

Green Economics

A Green New Deal for Europe - Towards Green Modernization in the face of Crisis

November 13, 2009 - In the face of the current multiple crisis (financial, economic, social, environmental), the need for sustainable policies is self-evident. The Green New Deal is the integrated policy approach that Greens in Europe are putting forward as a solution to the crisis. The current report by the Wuppertal Institute analyzes in depth the climate, environment and energy aspects of this proposal.
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Magazine

Boell.Thema - Green New Deal

 - July 27, 2009 - There is a centrist idea of a Green New Deal that is being discussed worldwide as a response to the dual economic and environmental crises. As different as these two concepts may be, they share a common core: both first require a great leap toward a sustainable economy. more»

Towards a Global Green New Deal

 - September 9, 2009 - The international debate on a Green New Deal (Ban Ki Moon, Achim Steiner, Nicholas Stern et al) takes place just in time. The economic Tsunami which today is devastating the world economy is much more than just a widespread recession. It marks the end of an old model for economic growth and the beginning of a new era. Ralf Fücks more»

Globalization

Transforming the World in Crisis

April 4, 2009 - Prague NGO Declaration - We, participants of the conference The World In Crisis: Economies and Policies for Global Transformation have discussed for three days in Prague the root causes, impacts and responses to the financial crises, economic meltdown, climate change, mismanagement of natural resource use, increasing inequity and volatile food and oil prices from the systemic perspective of the world's poor and vulnerable. more»

Which way out of the food crisis? - Review of the conference “The global food crisis, one year on. How to achieve food security.”

 - March 13, 2009 - On 4 March 2009, Glopolis and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung convened a conference entitled “The global food crisis, one year on. How to achieve food security.” The program was focused particularly on those structural causes of the food crisis related to the areas of agriculture and trade. Aurele Destree more»
New EU funded project of Heinrich Böll Foundation's offices in Washington, Brussels and Prague