German coal use at highest level since 1990 [View all]
Brown coal electricity production in Germany rose last year to its highest level since 1990, despite the country’s campaign to shift to green sources of energy. The increase, revealed in figures published on Tuesday, prompted calls from Green politicians and environmental lobbyists for energy reforms to raise the costs of operating coal-fired power stations – especially those using brown coal, a highly-polluting fuel.
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The exchanges come as chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition looks to revise Germany’s energy policies – maintaining commitments to green energy while also controlling the costs and protecting economic competitiveness. At the same time, Berlin is also grappling with an EU probe into subsidies paid to some industries to shield them from high energy prices.
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As a result, Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions, which rose from 917m tonnes in 2011 to 931m tonnes in 2012, are estimated to show an increase of 20m tonnes when figures are tallied for last year.
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Jens Tartler, spokesman for the German Renewable Energy Federation, an industry group, urged reform of the EU’s carbon market The EU’s decision last year to remove emissions worth 900m tonnes from trading was “not enough” to boost the market. “That emissions are rising again in Germany [with its commitment to green energy] is a very bad signal to other countries.”
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e6470600-77bf-11e3-807e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2pnzml16p
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