{"id":1450847,"date":"2024-01-16T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1450847"},"modified":"2024-01-16T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T15:00:00","slug":"seeking-green-utopia-the-us-and-eu-are-quietly-killing-vital-industries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/seeking-green-utopia-the-us-and-eu-are-quietly-killing-vital-industries\/1450847\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeking Green Utopia, The US And EU Are Quietly Killing Vital Industries"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seeking Green Utopia, The US And EU Are Quietly Killing Vital Industries<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

German CO\u2082 emissions are the lowest since the 1950s. Is this a success or a failure?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Agora Energiewend<\/em>\u00a0reports\u00a0Germany\u2019s CO\u2082 Emissions Drop to Record Low<\/a>. The details and results are interesting, emphasis mine.<\/p>\n

Last year, Germany\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions fell to 673 million tonnes of CO\u2082. Emissions thus fell by 46 percent compared to the reference year 1990 \u2013 their lowest level since the 1950s. At the same time, CO\u2082 emissions were about 49 million tonnes of CO\u2082 below the annual target of 722 million tonnes of CO\u2082 derived from the Climate Protection Act.<\/p>\n

Two main developments were responsible for the decrease of 73 million tonnes of CO\u2082 compared to 2022. First, coal-fired power generation fell to its lowest level since the 1960s, saving 44 million tonnes of CO\u2082 alone. The reasons for this were a significant drop in electricity demand,\u00a0increased electricity imports from neighbouring countries<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 around half of which came from renewable sources of energy \u2013 as well as a commensurate decrease in electricity exports and a slight increase in domestic green electricity generation.\u00a0Second, emissions from industry fell significantly. This was largely due to the decline in production by energy-intensive companies as a result of the economic situation and international crises. While overall economic output shrank by 0.3 percent according to preliminary figures, energy-intensive production fell by 11 percent in 2023<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201c2023 was a two-speed year as far as climate protection in Germany is concerned: the energy sector notched up a climate policy success with its record level of new renewable power, taking us closer to the 2030 target,\u201d said Simon M\u00fcller, director of Agora Energiewende Germany.\u00a0\u201cHowever, we don\u2019t consider the emissions reductions seen in the industrial sector to be sustainable. The drop in production due to the energy crisis weakens Germany\u2019s industrial base. If emissions are simply shifted abroad as a result, this won\u2019t benefit the climate.\u00a0<\/em>The buildings and transport sectors are also lagging as far as structural climate protection measures are concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Agora\u2019s calculations,\u00a0only about 15 percent of the CO\u2082 saved constitutes permanent emissions reductions\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>resulting from additional renewable energy capacity, efficiency gains and the switch to fuels that produce less CO\u2082 or other climate friendly alternatives.<\/p>\n

CO\u2082 emissions in the transport and buildings sectors stagnated again in 2023, meaning that the sectors continue to fall well short of their climate goals.\u00a0Instead of the legally binding maximum of 101 million tonnes of CO\u2082, buildings caused 109 million tonnes of CO\u2082 emissions. This means that the buildings sector missed the annual target for the fourth time in a row<\/em>.<\/p>\n

According to Agora\u2019s calculations, transportation in Germany emitted 145 million tonnes of CO\u2082, which corresponds to a reduction of just 11 percent compared with 1990.\u00a0This means that transport emissions exceeded the legally binding limit of 133 million tonnes of CO\u2082 by 12 million tonnes of CO\u2082.\u00a0<\/em>The target of 15 million electric cars by 2030 remains a long way off: as in the previous year, the share of electric cars among new registrations was unchanged at just under 20 percent.<\/p>\n

German De-Industrialization<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cGood Morning from Germany, where a creeping deindustrialization is taking place. Industrial production has recently continued to fall and is now at the same level as in 2006.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Good Morning from #Germany<\/a>, where a creeping deindustrialization is taking place. Industrial production has recently continued to fall and is now at the same level as in 2006. pic.twitter.com\/aNBxrB9qqv<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) January 13, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

I used that Tweet in my previous post, written yesterday. Today found two interesting articles to show why that\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

In Search of the Green Utopia<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the name of green utopia, political leaders are quietly killing vital energy-intensive industries.<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal reports\u00a0Davos Devotees Deindustrialize Europe<\/a><\/p>\n

Political, business and security leaders gather in Davos next week under the mantra of \u201crebuilding trust<\/a>.\u201d Key topics include security cooperation, artificial intelligence, energy security and job growth \u201cfor a New Era<\/a>.\u201d Undoubtedly there will also be calls to phase out fossil fuels and aspirations for a hydrogen-based green economy. Amid this grand planning for the industries of 2050, leaders likely will pay little attention to how government pressure to reach this utopian vision is destroying the industries that made Europe the envy of the world.<\/p>\n

Over the past two years, dozens of energy-intensive manufacturers of our most basic materials\u2014chemicals, steel, ceramics, glass and fertilizers\u2014have ceased or slowed production in Europe. As the leader of a U.S.-headquartered chemical company that once had more than 50% of its revenue and employees in Europe, I have witnessed this devolution firsthand.<\/p>\n

According to a recent report from the think tank Agora Energiewende, German greenhouse-gas emissions dropped 20% in 2023 to their lowest levels in 75 years primarily due to a collapse in energy-intensive manufacturing.\u00a0Media reports largely overlook the scale of this catastrophe, but the political ramifications are beginning to show in the polls. Agricultural protests against emission crackdowns in the Netherlands helped populist Geert Wilders win a surprise election victory, and similar demonstrations in Germany killed a green budget proposal.<\/em><\/p>\n

The deindustrializing politics of Europe essentially seek to reverse all this by organizing the economy around limiting byproduct waste from the products that enable the world to sustain itself. Low-cost, abundant energy is the lifeblood of profitable industrial manufacturing. The production of virtually everything requires it. Every time an industrial facility closes, high-paying jobs disappear and the middle class shrinks.<\/p>\n

If Europe won\u2019t make what the world needs, then production will go elsewhere<\/strong><\/em>. It is environmentally and economically irresponsible for Europe to outsource its energy-intensive industry to countries with weaker regulation, employment laws and safety standards. To believe differently is naive, dangerous, and detrimental to the environment. Serious people understand this reality and must speak out. Voters already are.<\/p>\n

Taxing the World<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Europe and the US are hell bent on creating a \u201cgreen utopia\u201d. It does not exist and never will.<\/p>\n

In Germany and the EU, the search for utopia is leading to deindustrialization. In the US, Biden\u2019s efforts are leading the US to become the high-cost producer.<\/p>\n

Carbon Leakage<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

To prevent \u201ccarbon leakage\u201d the European Parliament Reached a Deal on a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, CBAM for short.<\/p>\n

I wrote about CBAM on December 19, 2022 in\u00a0EU Imposes the World\u2019s Largest Carbon Tax Scheme<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only effect CBAM would have is a resource shift whereby clean energy capacity in already under-resourced countries will be shifted for export production while industry aimed at local consumption and energy access will depend on dirty fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that not what\u2019s happening?<\/p>\n

World Class Irony<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We don\u2019t use roof solar panels because they cost to much. They cost too much because we insist they be produced here.<\/p>\n

We demand EV policies that require more minerals and mines, but we won\u2019t allow more mines in the US.<\/p>\n

We want more EVs but we insist on union manufacturing driving up price.<\/p>\n

Holding the whole damn mess together is a policy of higher tariffs.<\/p>\n

All Hail France<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Amusingly, France is leading the way to a solution that actually makes sense.<\/p>\n

In a proposal in French parliament that has a good chance of passing, a bill weakens France\u2019s climate objectives. The objective would no longer be to \u201creduce\u201d but to tend towards a reduction in \u201cour greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

For discussion, please see\u00a0French Legislation Weakens Clean Energy Commitments and Favors Nuclear<\/a><\/p>\n

The legislation defines nuclear as sustainable. And so here we are. France is actually making sense while the US and most of the EU is in green utopia la-la land.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nTue, 01\/16\/2024 – 05:00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bRead More<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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