European Union

By Andrew Glencross | – To misquote Shakespeare, our Brexit negotiating revels now are ended. The tempestuous talks did not lead to a dramatic walkout, even if at times the UK government gave the impression this was a feud worthy of the Montagues against the Capulets. The negotiators ignored the background noise and succeeded in […]

Climate Crisis

Deficit Hawks: Reducing environmental damage of greenhouse gases, pollutants saves billions

Clean Energy Wire

By Charlotte Nijhuis | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – Reducing the environmental damages caused by greenhouse gases, nitrogen emissions, other pollutants and human activities can save Germany billions of euros, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) writes. The agency has updated the cost rates of environmental impact to include those for nitrogen and […]

Germany

Germany backs major international green hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia

Clean Energy Wire

By Benjamin Wehrmann | – German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp will supply an electrolyser for a massive international green hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia with the capacity to produce up to 650 tonnes of the climate-neutral gas per day with wind and solar power installations. The German economy ministry (BMWi) announced that it will support the “Element […]

China

The EV Onslaught: 80% of Norway’s New Cars Plug-Ins, as they soar 190% in EU, 120% in China

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Cleantechnica reports that if you consider pure electric automobiles alongside plug-in hybrids, plug-in vehicles accounted for 80% of new car registrations in Norway in November. This is a 20% increase year over year. And, gasoline cars fell to only about 10% of new car purchases. Volkswagen’s new ID.3 soared in […]

Germany

Germany dedicates $11 bn. to joint Green Hydrogen Plants abroad for Imports to Power its Fuel Cells

Clean Energy Wire

By Benjamin Wehrmann | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – A new project launched by Germany’s development cooperation organisation GIZ is supposed to prepare the ground for large-scale imports to sustain the country’s budding hydrogen industry as early as 2021, Klaus Stratmann writes in Handelsblatt. The project, dubbed H2 Global and launched by the GIZ […]

Domestic Terrorism

Greece had a neo-Nazi Problem, too; here’s how Athens dealt with it

The Conversation

By Georgios Samaras | – When a wave of right-wing extremism hit Greece in 2012, few would have predicted that Golden Dawn, one of the groups involved, would grow to become the third largest party in the Greek parliament. This was the beginning of a long period of turmoil in Greek politics that saw a […]

Climate Crisis

Europeans express relief, hope for climate cooperation after Biden win

Clean Energy Wire

By Kerstine Appunn, Charlotte Nijhuis, Benjamin Wehrmann and Julian Wettengel | – ( Clean Energy Wire ) – European leaders, researchers and media commentators breathed a collective sigh of relief following Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential elections and expressed hope for a new partnership on combating climate change. The news fuelled expectations that […]

Antisemitism

From Kristallnacht to the Berlin Wall: The Tragedies and Triumphs of Nov. 9 remind us of the Dangers of Racism and the Beacon of Liberty

Adrienne Redd

Philadelphia, Pa. (Special to Informed Comment) – November 9 is momentous. We move forward with new hope. However, we must not forget to be humble and compassionate, to remember that of which people are capable, both the evil and the triumphant. On November 9 and 10, 1938 (called Kristallnacht), mobs rampaged through Germany, smashing windows, […]

Germany

Greek Island going completely Green with Electric Vehicles, with Help of Volkswagen

Clean Energy Wire

By Charlotte Nijhuis | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – Volkswagen (VW) and the Greek government are planning a pilot project to introduce fully electric mobility on an island in the southeastern Aegean Sea, business daily Handelsblatt reports. In the next two years, all cars, trucks, motorcycles and buses on the island of Astypalea are […]