FES Just Climate

One Minute One Thought: Drill, baby, drill? More details about this topic can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ewg7A2CE #BatteryStorage #RenewableStorage #Wind #Solar #Texas

How popular are heat pumps? Well, the ratio between the price of gas and the price of electricity is a decisive factor. 💡Where the price level is similar, the heat pump has an easy game. This is the conclusion of an analysis by the KfW development bank. Accordingly, it is the Nordic countries that lead the sales ranking. Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark are ahead in terms of the ratio of inhabitants to heat pumps sold. 📌 In Sweden, for example, heat pumps have a market share of an impressive 90% of new projects. The prices for gas and electricity are almost on a par there, partly due to a CO2 price for fossil fuels. 📌 In Denmark, district heating is the most important source of heat. It is still largely based on biomass and a quarter on fossil fuels. But here, too, the focus is on heat pumps - large heat pumps in this case. These use, for example, waste heat from industrial companies and data centres or from the sea for district heating. A rising CO2 price will cause gas prices in Europe to rise more sharply in future. 📈 ✅Heat pumps, both large and small, are likely to benefit from this. Of course, the same applies here as for the energy and industrial turnaround as a whole: stable framework conditions and targeted support programmes for households on a tight budget are the be-all and end-all. ▶️ Download the complete KfW report here: https://lnkd.in/esJ7_xSd https://lnkd.in/eDvAiX4p  Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung #HeatPumps #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #ClimateAction #RenewableEnergy #CO2Reduction #NordicInnovation #FutureHeating

Big in Japan? 🇯🇵 This does not apply to the climate targets, as a look at the recently presented energy strategy plan shows. 🌍⚡ ▶️ Specifically, the government plans to reduce emissions by 60 per cent by 2035 and 73 per cent by 2040 compared to 2013. ▶️ The contribution of renewables to the electricity mix is to rise to 40 to 50 per cent by 2040 and the share of coal and gas is to fall to 30 to 40 per cent - that would be a halving compared to today. ▶️ Nuclear energy is to supply around a fifth of the electricity. These targets fall short of international agreements such as the resolutions of the UN Climate Summits or the G7 to triple renewables. ❗ Critics are not only pointing out that industrialised countries such as Japan must pursue more ambitious targets if the rise in temperature is to be limited. 🌡️🚨 They also point to Japan's high dependence on fossil fuel imports. In recent years, increased spending on the import of fossil fuels, particularly oil and gas, has even led to a trade deficit for the first time in decades. It is therefore fitting that a levy on fossil fuels is expected to be introduced for importers in 2028. A faster expansion of renewables would also fit into the picture. Especially as, unlike in the past, Tokyo is now even expecting demand for electricity to increase, driven by the construction of new data centres and semiconductor factories. #Japan #ClimateAction #RenewableEnergy #NetZero #FossilFuels #EnergyTransition Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung https://lnkd.in/eAFJi3Kn

A warning to Trump: China’s export ban on high-tech metals shows Beijing is ready for a trade war with the new US administration. Will Europe be caught in the middle? Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung https://lnkd.in/eZKs2GZx

Complaining doesn't help, quick strategic decisions are needed. That is the motto these days anyway. And it also applies to traditional European industries. 🏗️ ➡️ The tariffs announced by the Trump administration, such as the 25% on #steel and #aluminium, will hit Europe twice over. On the one hand, they would make exports to the most important market outside Europe more difficult. According to the industry association Eurofer, 16% of European steel exports went to the USA in 2024. That would hurt. When Trump imposed tariffs on steel at this level in 2018, European exports to the USA halved. It would therefore have a massive impact on the crisis-ridden industry. At the same time, however, the pressure on the European market itself is also likely to increase considerably. This is because other major producers such as Canada and Brazil would have to look for alternatives - and Europe, with its open market, is likely to quickly become the centre of attention. Accordingly, the industry is calling on Brussel for protection. For example, the EU safeguards should be revised. Here, imports that exceed certain quotas are subject to customs duties. The question of how to proceed with the crisis-ridden European steel industry is part of a much larger debate on the future industrial architecture. 🌐 Those in favour of protectionist measures, for example, point to the importance of local steel production for Europe's desired strategic autonomy. Those who do not produce themselves could become dangerously dependent in terms of armaments and industrial policy, so the argument goes. If the EU Commission and the member states follow this argument, then more tangible measures are indeed needed to protect the industry. And quickly. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung https://lnkd.in/erDK32HQ #steelcrisis #steel #aluminium #industry #europeanindustry

Europe's automotive sector is in the midst of a major transformation and is also grappling with a serious slump in sales. Urgent solutions are needed, or the situation could quickly become more serious. The EU Commission’s strategic #automotive dialogue is intended to address these challenges. Discussions are focused on the charging infrastructure, trade and raw materials, supply chains, and digitalization. 🔋 Commissioner for social affairs, Roxana Mînzatu engaged with businesses, associations, unions, and NGOs to explore the impact of the climate-neutral transition on jobs, the labor market, and skills. 💬 The shift to electric vehicles will lead to job losses in production, but it is expected that other types of jobs will be in higher demand. Additionally, many existing jobs will undergo significant changes. Europe has not yet adequately prepared for these shifts. During the dialogue, the idea of a Europe-wide assessment was debated. Its objective would be to identify which regions and industries are at risk of job losses, allowing early on for targeted #retraining and #upskilling programs to be organized in these areas. 🎓 This is a central demand from trade unions, who have long advocated for more proactive planning to benefit both workers and the industry. 🏗️ It's all about jobs! Details can be found in the download link: https://lnkd.in/e7vEwCJQ Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung #transformation #automotiveindustry #innovation https://lnkd.in/ee29z48b

Major battery manufacturer, major IPO. CATL, the world's largest manufacturer of e-car batteries, has submitted a corresponding application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. According to Bloomberg, the Chinese company is aiming to raise more than five billion US dollars. According to the stock exchange prospectus, this will primarily be channelled into the plant currently under construction in Debrecen, Hungary. An e-mobility cluster is currently being created in Hungary. BYD and BWM, for example, also produce there. 🔋 In this context, we would like to refer to a study by our FES office in Hungary on China's economic presence there. Download the study here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/grwKwDnX https://lnkd.in/ervCpvyn Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung #BatteryManufacturers #ElectricMobility #EcarBatteries #Emobility #GreenEnergy

What is your take on your national climate plans? This is still unclear for the majority of countries. Despite the fact that the deadline for submitting targets expired yesterday. However, only a good dozen countries have complied. The responsible UN organization (#UNFCCC) has informally extended the deadline until September. Why the understanding despite the clear time pressure? The times are, well, challenging. Climate policy is geopolitics and on this terrain many are currently taking a wait-and-see approach. 🌐 The #USA is among the countries that have submitted their targets. However, that was the Biden administration. Under Trump, the plans are a waste of paper. 🌐 #China, on the other hand, will probably wait and see what the EU's plans are and what Trump actually intends to do on trade and climate. 🌐 In the #EU, the debates on the climate targets for 2040 and the implementation of the European Green Deal are quite controversial. However, many other countries will be looking very closely at what the Europeans are putting on the table before they break cover themselves. 💡 Especially as the issues of financing and technology transfer will have a direct impact on feasibility for the Global South. The Climate Secretariat is focusing on ambitious targets. We can only hope that the states will use the additional six months to this end. Unfortunately, you can't bet on it at the moment. https://lnkd.in/er8T4ZN4

This will please SMEs: CBAM will be simplified. Many companies will be exempt from the reporting obligations. The keyword is bureaucracy reduction. Until now, importers have had to report the CO₂ content of goods worth €150 or more, and levies would also be due from 2026. According to the companies, this value is far too low. In addition, it is often difficult for importers to determine the CO2 content of their suppliers. The border adjustment mechanism is intended to compensate for disadvantages for domestic producers who would be threatened by imports from countries without a CO₂ price or with a lower price. Wopke Hoekstra had already announced the current simplification. 📌 97% of the levies would only apply to 20% of the companies concerned, according to the Climate Commissioner. 📌 3% of the imports would fall correspondingly on 80% of the companies. These four-fifths are now to be relieved. 💡 Makes sense - there is no real threat of erosion here. Further changes are being discussed. So far, CBAM applies to imports of cement, iron, steel, aluminium, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen. In future, the chemical industry could also be included in CBAM. The Commission will also consider extending CBAM to downstream products in the value chain. Companies fear that otherwise processed products could simply be imported instead of the raw materials mentioned in order to circumvent CBAM - this would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Indirect emissions could also be included to a greater extent in the future and the circumvention of the CBAM by third countries could be made more difficult. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung #CBAM #BureaucracyReduction #SMEs #ClimateAction #CarbonPricing #CO2 #EmissionReduction #Sustainability #GreenTransition #IndustryNews #EuropeanUnion https://lnkd.in/eHRMU8tD

Alive and kicking - the European Green Deal delivers. In its report “Delivering the EU Green Deal”, the EU Commission's Joint Research Center draws a positive conclusion on implementation to date. 📌 Almost two-thirds of the #EGD targets are on track to be reached. 📌 We are well on the way to achieving a fifth. That may not seem like a lot at first. But of course, work on this has only been underway for a few years. Nevertheless, the authors are calling for more speed. This applies in particular to the energy sector. According to #JRC, there has been no significant progress at all in the use of green hydrogen in industry. The ramp-up of renewables also needs to be faster across the board. And in terms of energy efficiency, only half of the savings agreed by 2030 would be met at the current rate. The transition to a circular economy 🔄 is also progressing worryingly slowly. Raw material consumption is still rising largely in sync with economic growth. 📈 The aim is actually to decouple this. In particular, doubling the circularity rate is a long way off. This measures the ratio of recycled material to raw material consumption. ♻️ In view of the importance of this target for the climate and for European independence from raw material imports, this stagnation must be worrying. Especially as progress in the circular economy will be decisive for future competitiveness. 🏭 Competitors don’t rest either. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung #EuropeanGreenDeal #Sustainability #ClimateAction #GreenEnergy #CircularEconomy #Renewables #EU https://lnkd.in/er9jkReK