Page 32 - AT

A32 FEATURE
Friday 1 February 2019
How Germany hopes to quit using coal

By FRANK JORDANS agreed on a top recom-
Associated Press mendation.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany Economists and environ-
wants to stop using coal, mentalists favor the first op-
a major source of the car- tion, saying it would buy
bon emissions that drive cli- time to solve some of the
mate change. But finding more complicated issues.
the least disruptive way to Not only is Germany giv-
get there has been a chal- ing up coal, it has already
lenge. pledged to end the use of
A big question is not only nuclear power by 2022, fur-
when the last mines and ther narrowing its room for
power plants will close maneuvering.
down, but how quitting Chancellor Angela Merkel
coal can be done without has suggested Germany
generating drawn-out pro- will temporarily need to
tests or harming the Ger- import more natural gas
man economy. — which emits about half
A government-appointed as much CO2 as coal — to
panel of experts is poised bridge the supply gap un-
to offer recommendations. til renewable sources can
Despite months of delibera- fully meet the country's en-
tions, the panel remained ergy demands.
undecided on key issues In this photo taken Aug. 27, 2018 bucket wheel digs for coal near the Hambach Forest near Du- The government is expect-
ahead of a key meeting on eren, Germany. ed to have to spend billions
Friday . Associated Press of euros (dollars) helping
A short guide to the stakes affected regions manage
at play and some proposed get for reducing emissions. ___ politicians from the affect- the economic impact of
solutions: The country closed its re- POLITICAL SENSITIVITIES ed regions. mine closures in the coming
___ maining black coal mines Some 20,000 jobs in Ger- Ottmar Edenhofer, co-di- decades. A draft proposal
WHY IS GERMANY QUITTING last year, but still imports many are tied directly to rector of the Potsdam Insti- envisages the creation of
COAL? the fossil fuel from abroad. the coal industry; another tute for Climate Impact Re- 5,000 new jobs over the
Germany is committed It also mines and burns lig- 40,000 depend on it indi- search, said the best way next 10 years.
to the 2015 Paris climate nite, a particularly cheap rectly. That's a vanishingly for Germany to avoid yel- More money would need
accord, an international and dirty type of coal. To- small number compared low vest-style protests , the to be set aside to compen-
agreement that set a goal gether, they provide more to other areas, including ones seen in France over sate utility companies for
of keeping global warming than one-third of Ger- renewable energy, but a fuel tax increase meant shutting down their coal-
well below 2 degrees Cel- many's electricity — a far coal jobs are located in to discourage fossil fuel fired plants early and to
sius (3.6 F), ideally 1.5 C (2.7 greater share than other economically depressed use, would be for Berlin to ensure businesses and con-
F). countries that have an- regions. actively communicate the sumers don't get hefty in-
Achieving the goal will re- nounced they're quitting Two of the four German benefits that outweigh the creases stuck on their elec-
quire steep cuts in green- coal. states where coal is still likely cost of quitting coal. tricity bills.
house gas emissions. Ger- Dropping coal would help mined — Brandenburg and ___ Eric Schweitzer, head of
many's coal plants produce the country meet its emis- Saxony in the country's east HOW WILL THEY DO IT? the Association of German
the most carbon dioxide sions goals for 2030 and — hold elections this year. The panel is consider- Chambers of Commerce
of any country in Europe, 2050, which entail cuts of The far-right Alternative ing various options, from and Industry, told business
and forecasts indicate the 55 percent and over 80 for Germany party, which a quick closure of some daily Handelsblatt that, all
country will miss its 2020 tar- percent respectively. has been polling strongly power plants to a series of in all, the cost of Germany's
ahead of the votes, has shutdowns that start slow coal exit could reach up
taken the position the and speed up toward a fi- to 170 billion euros ($193
mines should be kept open nal exit date. It hasn't yet billion).q
as long as there's coal.
A competing voice comes
from Germany's environ-
mental movement. There
were large protests last
year against the planned
clearing of an ancient for-
est for mining, while thou-
sands have rallied on the
streets in recent years to
call for action to halt cli-
mate change.
The German government,
wary of making such a
complicated and political-

In this picture taken Nov.6, 2007 dismissed coal miners of the ly sensitive decision itself,
company Deilmann Haniel demonstrate during the German punted the nitty-gritty ne-
coal convention day 2007 in the Philharmonic Concert Hall of gotiations to 28 experts rep- In this Sept. 7, 2018 file photo bucket wheels dig for coal near
Essen, Germany. resenting industry, science, the Hambach Forest near Dueren, Germany.
Associated Press environmental groups and Associated Press