A megújuló források nem csökkentik az európai CO2 kibocsátást

A megújuló források nem csökkentik az európai CO2 kibocsátást

A nĂŠmetorszĂĄgi megĂşjulóågazat komoly sikertĂśrtĂŠnetnek szĂĄmĂ­t, az orszĂĄg villamosenergia-igĂŠnyĂŠnek kĂśzel 15 szĂĄzalĂŠkĂĄt ma mĂĄr a zĂśld energiaforrĂĄsokbĂłl – nap, szĂŠl, ĂŠs biomassza erőművekből elĂŠgĂ­tik ki, csaknem 250 ezer munkahelyet teremtett a zĂśldenergia ĂĄgazat, amely ĂŠves szinten 35 milliĂĄrd eurĂłs forgalmat generĂĄl. Csakhogy a statisztikai adatok azt mutatjĂĄk, ezek a fejlesztĂŠsek egyetlen grammal sem csĂśkkentettĂŠk a szĂŠndioxid kibocsĂĄtĂĄst – erről kĂśzĂślt ebszĂĄmolĂłt nemrĂŠgiben a Spiegel.

A nĂŠmet hetilap emlĂŠkeztet, hogy az EU klĂ­mavĂŠdelmi szabĂĄlyozĂĄsa, a vilĂĄgon a legszigorĂşbbnak tekinthető. A 2005-ben elindĂ­tott eurĂłpai emissziĂł-ketreskedelmi rendszer a kĂśzĂśssĂŠg teljes erőművi, ĂŠs nagyipari kibocsĂĄtĂĄsĂĄt lefedi elmĂŠletileg. Egyelőre azonban, fĂśggetlenĂźl a megĂşjulĂł forrĂĄsok arĂĄnyĂĄnak nĂśvekedĂŠsĂŠtől, nem csĂśkkent a CO2 kibocsĂĄtĂĄs. 

SzakĂŠrtők előtt nyilvĂĄnvalĂł ez az ellentmondĂĄs, a nĂŠmet lap szerzői szerint azonban a politikusok szemĂŠrmesek ebben a kĂŠrdĂŠsben, ĂŠs nem igen hozakodnak elő ezzel a tĂŠmĂĄval nagy nyilvĂĄnossĂĄg előtt, hiszen ĂŠrzĂŠkeny terĂźletről van szĂł. A Spiegel szerint a ZĂśld PĂĄrt politikusai is tisztĂĄban vannak ezzel a problĂŠmĂĄval. AmiĂłta csak ĂŠletbe lĂŠpett az emissziĂłkereskedelmi rendszer, a megĂşjulĂł energisa tĂśrvĂŠny legfeljebb struktĂşrĂĄlis ĂĄtalalkulĂĄsokat indĂ­that el, de nem alkalmas a globĂĄlis klĂ­mavĂĄltozĂĄs elleni hatĂŠkony kĂźzdelemre.

Ez a gyakorlatban azt jelenti a nĂŠmet lap elemzői szerint, a nap ĂŠs szĂŠlenergia projektek ĂĄtalakĂ­tjĂĄk NĂŠmetorszĂĄg primerenergia felhasznĂĄlĂĄsĂĄt, csĂśkkentik az orszĂĄg importfĂźggősĂŠgĂŠt, viszont a klĂ­mavĂĄltozĂĄs ellen hatĂĄstalanok. Egyes forgatĂłkĂśnyvek szerintt a fenntarthatĂłnak vĂŠlt energiaforrĂĄsok, akĂĄr mĂŠg kĂĄrosak is lehetnek a klĂ­mavĂĄltozĂĄs szempontjĂĄbĂłl.

That means: wind turbines and solar energy plants are revolutionizing Germany’s mix of power sources, creating jobs and making the country more independent from imports. But they aren’t helping in the fight against climate change. In the worst case scenario, sustainable energy plants might even have a detrimental effect on the climate. As more wind turbines go online, coal plants will be able to reduce their output. This in itself is desirable – but the problem is that the total number of available CO2 emission certificates remains the same. In other words, there will suddenly be more certificates per kilowatt of coal energy. That means the price per ton of CO2 emitted will fall. That is exactly what happened in recent trading. A certificate to emit a ton of CO2 cost almost nothing. As a result, there was very little incentive for big energy companies to invest in climate friendly technologies. On the contrary. Germany was able to sell unused certificates across Europe – to coal companies in countries like Poland or Slovakia, for example. Thanks to Germany’s wind turbines, these companies were then able to emit more greenhouse gases than originally planned. Given the often lower efficiency of Eastern European power plants, this is anything but environmentally beneficial. This phenomenon is especially apparent whenever the sustainable energy industry grows more quickly than anticipated – as in recent years when growth in the renewable energy branch quickly rendered the EU Commission’s CO2 plans obsolete. Building Renovations Are Better than Windmills Experts from the Green Party are taking the problem very seriously: “We are in a veritable crisis situation, and that means we must reconsider and alter things we once took for granted,” writes one contributor, adding that it’s important to re-examine “whether we have set the right priorities.” Another expert begins his e-mail with a general clarification: “Dear People, I’m not fundamentally against the EEG.

 

I only emphasize this because Manfred has repeatedly and erroneously described me as an opponent of the EEG.” But here comes the big “but”: “When reduction of CO2 emissions is more cheaply achieved through insulating a building than using a wind turbine, that is where we should concentrate our support.” When it comes to climate change, everything else is secondary to reducing CO2 emissions.

Indeed, when it comes to climage change, investments in wind and solar energy are not very efficient. Preventing one ton of CO2 emissions requires a relatively large amount of money. Other measures, especially building renovations, cost much less – and have the same effect. The e-mail exchange ends with a conciliatory “What do you think?” But it is quickly followed by a bitter PS: “Do the Greens think that this problem (of climate change) will solve itself if we just screw solar panels onto our rooftops?” Environmental Groups Admit to the Problem The German Renewable Energy Federation is clearly not thrilled about the debate. The lobbying group’s official line is: “By implementing renewable energy, there will by a reduction in 2008 of 120 million tons of CO2.” When pressed, however, representatives of the federation will admit that this only applies to Germany. But the reality is that the freely traded CO2 certificates can be sold and used abroad. Likewise, one federation employee openly said that there is “a certain degree of inconsistency” between the EEG and emissions trading. But does it really have to be like this? Is it really so impossible to reconcile both of these instruments for protecting the climate? In theoretical terms, of course it’s possible. To do so, however, currently existing laws designed to prevent CO2 emissions would have to be reconciled. In real terms, for example, that means that every time a new wind turbine is built, the state would be forced to take certificates off the market. It is only in this way that you can achieve real positive effects on the climate. Politicians Buckle to Business There were discussions about such a system under Chancellor Gerhard SchrĂśder, who governed in a coalition with the Green Party. At the time, Minister of the Environment JĂźrgen Tritten wanted to exclude the amounts of energy covered by the EEG from the calculations used in the carbon-trading scheme. Instead, the industry-friendly regulations currently in effect were pushed through. Major energy corporations, which had claimed as many CO2 certificates as they possibly could, lobbied heavily. So why has nothing changed? According to experts, one reason has to do with technical problems. In the course of an ongoing trading period, they claim, adjusting the volume of CO2 certificates is no easy task. Still, an SPD insider provides yet another explanation: “Politicians just have to resign themselves to certain things.” As he sees it, if the state went back to the companies and took away the certificates they had been allotted, the result would be an uproar. “What do you think the companies would say to us?” he asks. “As a politician, there are certain storms that you simply can’t weather.”