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The Paris Climate Agreement has given renewable energies and energy efficiency a global tailwind. The Climate Protection Index 2017 presented today by Germanwatch shows a stable upward trend. Overall, however, the global energy transition is still proceeding too slowly to make its contribution to the Paris climate goals, warns the environment and development organisation Germanwatch. The election of Donald Trump as US president could slow down or even slow down the necessary transformation in the USA.
Overall, the twelfth edition of the Climate Protection Index gives cause for cautious optimism: "The conditions for a global energy transition have never been better than at present. This is mainly due to the further decreasing costs of renewable energies and efficiency technologies," says Jan Burck of Germanwatch, lead author of the Index. "Investments in fossil energies are becoming increasingly risky. There are no longer any understandable excuses for governments to hesitate in implementing the Paris climate agreement. Some states have recognised this, others have not yet caught up."
To the Climate Protection Index:
The Climate Protection Index (currently the twelfth edition in a row) was developed as an instrument for more transparency and comparability in international climate policy. Based on standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries, which together are responsible for more than 90% of energy-related emissions worldwide. The first three places have remained vacant every year so far, as no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change. Denmark was on the verge of becoming the first country to break into the top 3. This was prevented by the recent shift to a much less ambitious climate policy (More on methods and calculation in the brochure "The Climate Change Performance Index - Background and Methodology").
Climate Protection Index 2017 (in English, summary in German as well as maps and graphics): https://germanwatch.org/ksi
Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, UN (United Nations), Environmental policy
While the sound barrier of 100,000 installed fuel cells was already broken in Japan last year, numerous heating technology suppliers presented natural gas fuel cell heaters for the first time at the ISH in Frankfurt in March of this year, which are now to conquer German boiler rooms after decades of development and testing.
For the Badger InnoGen by SenerTec with a Japanese fuel cell from Toshiba and the Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P with a Panasonic fuel cell, a subsidy of around 7,600 euros awaits. In addition, Viessmann recently reduced the price of the Vitovalor 300-P to 19,500 euros, so that, taking into account the new subsidy, a complete fuel cell heating system with Japanese roots can be had for as little as 11,900 euros.
Source: CHP Infothek (June 2015)
Keywords:
Fuel cell, Funding, News Blog Hesse, Environmental policy
June 20 is the beginning of summer and in many places drought and low water levels in the rivers are already the order of the day, the waters in Germany are not equipped against the effects of climate change. In view of the devastating conditions of many waters in Germany, BUND demands a paradigm shift in the way we deal with our waters: The overriding principle in times of climate change must be to keep water in the landscape and return streams and rivers to their natural dynamics within their floodplains. Only just under eight percent of rivers and streams in Germany achieve the good ecological status required by the European Water Framework Directive. Almost 40 percent of surface waters across Europe are polluted by a variety of stressors such as climate change, nutrient inputs from agriculture or straightening. "We continue to heat up the earth, at the same time we drain the landscape. That's why it's no surprise that our local waters are doing so badly," stresses Olaf Bandt, Chairman of BUND, referring to a recent evaluation by BUND on the effects of climate change on water bodies.
If moors and floodplains are drained, not only does the landscape increasingly dry out, but huge quantities of greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane are released, which in turn fuel global warming. If the air temperature rises and with it the water temperature, more and more naturally occurring methane escapes from bodies of water. Bandt: "Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more effective than CO2 and further exacerbates climate change."
The temperature trend in recent years has been dramatic for nature. The years 2014, 2018 and 2019 were the three warmest years since weather records began, affecting water bodies as well as forests, animals and agriculture. Bandt: "Falling groundwater levels and rising water temperatures have fatal consequences for people and the environment. Last year's fish kill will not be the last. It is therefore crucial that we take decisive action to tackle the climate crisis. The German government must do everything it can to achieve the goal it has set itself of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees." In times of climate crisis and species extinction, rivers, streams, ponds and lakes must be able to cope well with the heat and drought, and landscapes that can temporarily store water are needed. The nature conservation organisation believes that this can only be achieved if water protection is taken into account in all policy areas. With regard to the impact of industrial agriculture on water bodies and the Agriculture Commission, Bandt adds: "I expect Federal Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner to shape the future of food production and not prevent another environmentally friendly reorganisation of German agriculture. The same applies to Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer, who must finally stop seeing rivers as wet motorways and actively support their role in securing groundwater for us all."
It is long overdue for the German government to fulfil its obligations under the European Water Framework Directive. This includes improved water management, demands Lilian Neuer, BUND water expert and co-author of the paper: "The landscape must not be drained further and further with drainage systems, even sealed surfaces in the city only drain rainwater into the sewerage system. However, water must remain in the area in order to be available where it is needed in dry and hot times. There are still water reserves, but we are in the middle of a climate crisis - and we need to act now."
Over the past centuries, numerous rivers have been straightened and floodplains, swamps and bogs have been drained. What remains is a dried-up landscape that is unable to retain rainwater, further favouring falling groundwater levels. "Healthy bodies of water are more resilient and can cope better with the negative consequences of the climate crisis," explains Neuer. "Where possible, floodplains must be renaturalised, because only near-natural, living floodplains absorb water like a sponge during periods of flooding and slowly return it to the river when water levels are lower. In this way, the water flow can be improved at times when there is less water available."
BUND is calling for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive and a sustainable solution to the water crisis:
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- Give rivers more space instead of damming them, as this is the only way to reconnect floodplains and rivers and strengthen biodiversity. Floodplains must be renaturalised.
- Keep water in the landscape instead of draining it directly so that the groundwater reservoirs can be replenished.
- Stop surface sealing, because especially in cities, water is drained away as quickly as possible and cannot seep away.
- Dismantling of transverse structures, as damming rivers heats up the water, worsens the water quality and blocks the path of fish so that they can no longer reach their spawning grounds.
- To protect groundwater and drinking water, the precautionary and polluter-pays principles must be implemented, as water quality can only be improved if proactive action is taken. Water bodies must be protected from the input of nutrients and pollutants.
- Water utilisation conflicts must be resolved fairly and sustainably.
- Instead of further widening and deepening rivers for ever larger ships, the ships must be adapted to the rivers. It must be reviewed on which rivers shipping still makes sense at all under changing climatic conditions.
- Sustainable water management is also necessary in agriculture, which includes, for example, soil-conserving cultivation, the removal of drainage systems and the cultivation of site-adapted crops. EU agricultural policy must be adapted to the challenges posed by climate change.
More information
- BUND water paper "Effects of climate change on the water balance" (PDF)
- Abstract of the paper (PDF)
- to rivers and bodies of water
Keywords:
Greening / climate adaptation, DE-News, Climate protection, New books and studies, Environmental policy, Water

DERIX Group invites you to the study day "Modern timber construction in historic Amsterdam" on 26.10.2017. The event will take place in the new ABN AMRO Pavilion in Amsterdam, in the construction of which DERIX Group was involved.
In co-operation with the Dutch Houtblad, architects and planners from the Netherlands will gain vivid and exciting insights into modern timber construction on the basis of current major projects and will be comprehensively informed about the special features of glulam and X-LAM as future-oriented building materials.
In the second part of the study day, excursions to the previously discussed construction projects will take place: Here, the participants will visit the nine-storey "Jakarta" hotel, which is made up of X-LAM modules, and the "De 7 Deugden" brewery, which was also built entirely from X-LAM. A total of 200m³ of X-LAM was used for the wall, ceiling and roof elements.
In addition to specialist information and excursions, the study day offers a good opportunity to expand your own network. Get into dialogue with other architects and planners and benefit from a stimulating exchange with your colleagues.
The number of participants is limited to 100 people. Secure your participation and register by 01 October 2017:
Information and registration
www.houtblad.nl/modernehoutbouw
Keywords:
Hotel, News Blog Europe (without DE), News Blog Netherlands