Environmental Justice

Today, few people retain any illusions that United Nations conventions like the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity can avert global warming, the loss of biodiversity and the depletion of arable soil and water. Likewise, the pursuit of hard caps for CO2 emissions and stricter environmental and social standards to reduce natural-resource consumption and protect workers seems to have fallen out of vogue, with crisis-stricken economies concerned that such regulations would impede investment and trade...

It is impossible today to build a competitive new nuclear plant in a transparent market economy without massive government subsidies. Existing nuclear plants are facing increasing difficulties to cope with significantly rising maintenance and, in many cases, post-Fukushima upgrading costs. Therefore rather than nuclear power making, as the IAEA has claimed, a growing contribution, the sector remains in decline or, as Vermont Law School economist Mark Cooper has called the development, a “renaissance in reverse”...

Expectations for the climate summit in Doha were so low that it is quite remarkable that the meager results still managed to fall short of them. Many NGOs condemned the conference as a failure. The EU and Germany called it an important step in the right direction. A summary of the results of the climate conference in Doha.

Germany has drawn a lot of attention for the Energiewende - the aim to switch to a renewable energy economy, phase out nuclear power and leave fossil fuels behind. But what exactly is the German energy transition: How does it works and what challenges lay ahead? Check out this new website..