Light and shadow in the global energy transition
These days, the media is once again full of bad news about climate change. Everywhere, the “Global Tipping Points Report 2025” is being quoted, warning of dying coral reefs: “The oceans have already warmed so much that they can probably only be saved with enormous effort – if at all.”
Even if we succeed in stabilizing warming at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, it is very likely that the reefs will die because their comfortable temperature ends at an additional 1.5 degrees. “This would have catastrophic consequences for the diversity of life in the oceans, for the food security of hundreds of millions of people, and for coastal protection, as healthy reefs are natural breakwaters,” fears Der Spiegel.
However, alongside these important and necessary reports, the positive news on the same topic is easily overlooked and forgotten. Here are two recent examples from the last few days that have received too little attention in the media:
Firstly: In Hamburg, voters gave politicians a clear mandate for more and faster climate protection in a referendum. A citizens’ movement not only persuaded enough people to vote for a referendum on climate protection, but also won. The initiative Hamburger Zukunftsentscheid (Hamburg Future Decision) convinced over 300,000 Hamburg residents of its plan for binding and social climate protection.
The Senate must now ensure that the Hanseatic city becomes climate neutral by 2040, rather than 2045. This is an ambitious goal. The climate movement is not a dead giant, as most Hamburg politicians assumed, but “the giant is only sleeping,” commented Die ZEIT. At least in Hamburg, the long-neglected issue of climate protection is back at the forefront. This example shows that the climate movement can wake up again at any time, as it did in 2019 with the “Fridays for Future” movement.
The strategy of the black-red coalition and many media outlets to simply silence the issue may not work. Hamburg could become anywhere in Germany. If politicians sleep through and suppress the issue of humanity’s survival, then voters will have to set sail themselves.
Other regions are also taking steps similar to those in Hamburg: the numerous tree decision initiatives for more urban greenery, the Berlin car-free referendum, and the initiatives for a solar heat transition in many cities. On Borkum and in Reichling, Bavaria, citizens’ initiatives are fighting against new gas drilling.
Secondly: Not only in China, but also in India, renewable energies are making surprisingly rapid progress. Both billion-strong populations are among the global leaders in the transition from fossil fuels to green energy. The expansion of renewable energies is progressing much faster than planned.
Like China, India is pushing ahead with the expansion of renewable energies in order to achieve its climate targets and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The country ranks fourth worldwide in terms of installed renewable energy capacity and is experiencing strong growth, particularly in solar energy, but also in wind power. India aims to reach a capacity of 500 gigawatts by 2030, which has led to significant investment in the sector and the development of large-scale projects such as the world’s largest hybrid power plant in Khavda. In the last nine months alone, 34 gigawatts of new solar and wind capacity have been installed in India. That is 34,000 megawatts.
The US under President Trump is failing in its energy transition. But the world’s two most populous countries are now setting an example for most developing countries in terms of energy transition. This also gives hope for the next World Climate Conference in Brazil.
Source
Franz Alt 2025| Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
