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FOCUS writes:


In an interview with the Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ), Michael Shellenberger criticizes the German energy turnaround, the role of the Greens and the handling of climate change. For the US-American author, "apocalyptic thinking comes mainly from Germany.

Michael Shellenberger questions central beliefs of the climate movement in an interview with the "NZZ". For the U.S. author, climate change is real "and man-made." Nevertheless, cold would still cause more deaths than the currently prevailing heat waves. The "ecomodernist" bases this on a study in the British journal "The Lancet," in which scientists found that in England and Wales "cold kills over 70 times as many people as heat."

Shellenberger is sharply critical of Germany's energy transition, contradicting ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke out as a proponent of phasing out nuclear power, citing hazardous radioactive waste as the reason. "That's not so true," says the U.S. author. During a recent visit to a waste repository in the Netherlands, he says, sufficient waste management solutions were in place. According to Shellenberger, "safety precautions were perfectly observed on site."

"It (nuclear power) is almost without risk," he says, elaborating, "The debate about nuclear power has taken on a spiritual quality. If you imagine that renewables are a positive pole, nuclear is the opposite. Nuclear power is demonic in the mind of the Greens in Germany, renewables are angelic, and fossil fuels are an unfortunate but viable alternative to nuclear power. That's why Germany's Greens decided to keep coal-fired plants in operation longer than nuclear plants."

For Shellenberger, the Greens are "still Marxists" who celebrated their peak in the last elections. He is convinced "that the energy crisis will lead to a decline in support" and sees powerful problems ahead. "If Europe doesn't have adequate energy supplies, there will be social unrest. Governments will fall," Shellenberger said.

One example? The speed limit, of which Shellenberger is no fan. "A reduced speed on the highway would have only a very, very small impact on petroleum consumption and no impact at all on electricity consumption or natural gas consumption," he contends. "Apparently, the Greens need the speed limit in exchange for agreeing to extend nuclear power plant lifetimes. This is symbolic politics."

Shellenberger disagrees with the slogan "We don't have time" shared by German Foreign Minister Annalena baerbock. "That, too, is apocalyptic discourse of the kind we know from cults." He also has a clear opinion on well-known activists. "If you listen to Greta Thunberg or 'Extinction Rebellion,' the conclusion is that we must stop all emissions immediately. But if we stop all energy consumption, we stop civilization."

He calls Germany a negative example in dealing with climate change and the resulting consequences, "The apocalyptic thinking comes mainly from Germany. The German people and government have an alarmist view of climate change, which exists all over the world. CO emissions have been unchanged over the past ten years. So we are successful. So why do people see a catastrophe? I think there are three motivations for this apocalyptic discourse: money, power, and religion. Climate change has become a kind of ersatz religion."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)