Clean Energy Wire

Germany is about to head into its political summer break, but the government still plans to present proposals for major energy policy reforms before several eastern states move into the final stretch of their regional election campaigns. Polls show that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could make major gains at the ballot box in the September votes.

The state of Saxony-Anhalt rarely sits at the centre of political attention in Germany, but extraordinarily high polling numbers for the far-right ahead of elections on 6 September have made the small state the focus of national attention this summer. The anti-climate action party Alternative for Germany (AfD) consistently polls near or above 40 percent, among the highest figures of all states and about twice its result at the previous state election.

The European Union is setting a slower pace for the reduction of its carbon market’s emissions cap over the next decade, as the bloc seeks to ease the impact of its climate goals on struggling industries. Reuters: EU drafts plan to double electrification rate, cut oil and gas use Just 23% of the EU's final energy consumption is met ​by electricity today, a share that has been stagnant for a decade. The rest ​of the economy runs mostly on fossil fuels.

The German finance ministry plans to transfer money from the Climate and Transformation Fund (CTF) to the core budget for the first time as part of a broader effort to plug gaps in the country’s finances. By cutting support programmes, for example for heat pumps, expenses from the CTF will be reduced by 3.4 billion euros in the 2027 budget, newspaper Handelsblatt reported.

The unprecedented heatwave that hit Germany and large parts of western and central Europe in late June cost the country’s economy at least 6.3 billion euros in lost productivity, newspaper Handelsblatt reported. In an analysis commissioned by the newspaper, consultancy Prognos looked at lower productivity among workers during the hot period as a driver for economic losses.

Germany’s cities plan to largely exit natural gas use in the coming years and instead bet on district heating, heat pumps and other low-carbon solutions to heat homes. An analysis by consumer magazine Finanztip of the municipal heating plans of 16 German cities, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, showed that all of them expect a significant decrease in natural gas use in the near future.

Germany’s government has launched a low-water monitoring system to provide local authorities, companies and citizens with real-time information on water supply and potential shortages. Environment minister Carsten Schneider presented the platform, named NIWIS, which will be used to improve prevention and adaptation measures for coping with droughts and other climate-related impacts on water levels.

Delivering more sustainable Olympics as climate change impacts unfold The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees the running of the Olympic Games, is trying to improve its legacy after years of leaving behind vast stadiums built for a spectacle that lasts only a few weeks and quickly fall into disuse. It has also set goals to reduce its climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

The Guardian: Iran threatens to halt all Middle East energy exports amid renewed US blockade Tehran shuts strait of Hormuz and carries out retaliatory strikes as Trump threatens to attack site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme. Bloomberg: Germany cuts climate fund by over €30 billion through 2030 Subsidies for heat pumps and incentives to promote electric mobility are among the programmes being targeted.

Foreign producers of electric vehicles (EVs) benefit more from Germany’s vehicle purchase support scheme than most domestic brands, figures released by the environment ministry have shown, according to newspaper Handelsblatt. Only two of the 14 most subsidised brands were German carmakers, while US company Tesla led the ranking, with 2086 supported EVs. Czech brand Skoda, which is owned by Germany’s Volkswagen, ranked second with 1,197 cars, followed by French company Renault with 784 vehicles.