It is an apocalyptic world that stages The mirror, in its mid-August edition.
On its front page, the German weekly shows an arid landscape, dotted with dead tree trunks and drought-related crevices. In the foreground, on a faded funeral wreath in the colors of Germany, we can read these words:
“Here lies our climate goals.”
For the left newspaper, “the German government has buried its most important projects”. Less than a year ago, the three parties in power (Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals) undertook in their coalition contract to make the energy transition their priority. Today, “the priority is over, the climate is only a marginal area, it is no longer at the heart of politics”.
Weapons instead of wind turbines
Since the war in Ukraine, the debates have evolved across the Rhine. “The climate movement is hardly heard anymore. What we are talking about today is military security, energy supply, the social question and economic independence, ensures the title of Hamburg, in a long analysis. The big topic is weapons, not wind turbines.”
Especially since the tensions with the Kremlin “have created new climate-related problems”. Berlin’s strategy to get rid of its dependence on Russian gas, in particular, involves urgently finding energy alternatives – polluting or not.
The revival of coal-fired power stations and the extension of the country’s last nuclear reactors are, for example, under consideration. “It was unthinkable a few months ago.”
Drought and energy crisis
Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz assures him that his climate objectives remain the same as at the start of his mandate. The transition to 80% of electricity from renewable energies by 2030 will also make it possible to regulate energy prices and to depend less on Russian deliveries, he argues.
But, at the same time, Robert Habeck, his Minister for the Economy and the Climate, is firing on all cylinders to find new hydrocarbon suppliers. He has notably traveled to Qatar, Norway and the United States for this purpose.
“Not much remains of the principle that coal, oil and natural gas should stay in the ground as much as possible.”
The situation is paradoxical, concludes The mirror. “On the one hand, the effects of climate change are increasingly noticeable; on the other, politicians are reducing their efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.”