About: Barbara Hendricks
Germany mulls free public transport to quash air pollution menace
"Car nation" Germany has surprised its European neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.
German diplomats assess China’s climate leadership promise
The international community is asking itself whether China really has what it takes to lead global climate policy now the United States has yielded that mantle. German diplomats in Beijing have attempted to broach the issue, in a paper seen by EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel.
Berlin invested in Belgian nuclear plants despite safety concerns
Germany’s federal government is invested to the tune of €6.4m in Belgium's ailing nuclear plants, despite Berlin recently advocating for their closure. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Massive human chain protests ageing Belgian nuclear reactors
50,000 people from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands formed a cross-border 90 km-long human chain on Sunday (25 June) to protest against the controversial Tihange nuclear power plant. Micro-cracks were recently discovered in one of the facility’s reactors.
Germans ready to ditch cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes
German motorists are ready, in theory at least, to abandon their cars in favour of buses, trains and bikes, according to a new study. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Germany compromises on Belgian reactor fears
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks has failed in her bid to get the ageing Belgian nuclear reactors of Doel 3 and Tihange 2 shut down permanently. Instead, Berlin and Brussels have agreed to a better exchange of information on all things atomic. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU countries stall over carbon market reform
After more than a year of negotiations, EU member states have come up short in their efforts to find common ground on a carbon market reform seen as necessary if the ambitions of the Paris Agreement on climate change are to be met. EURACTIV France reports.
Germany positive about 2050 climate targets, 2020 looks less promising
Environmentalists have praised Germany for its ambitious 2050 emissions targets, where it is aiming for a 95% reduction in comparison to 1990 levels. But things are less rosy when it comes to its 2020 targets. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Germany heads to COP22 without a plan
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks will have to travel to Marrakesh without a climate plan to present to the COP22 summit, after Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel blocked it last night (8 November). EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Merkel rebuffs German minister’s call to step into climate dispute
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday (2 November) rejected a call from her environment minister to intervene in a dispute over how to curb CO2 emissions that has prompted her cabinet to delay approving a climate action plan.
Germany’s ‘horror catalogue’ 2050 climate plan criticised from all sides
Environmental groups have criticised Germany's divisive 2050 climate protection plan for being too lax, whereas the country's ruling coalition think it is too stringent. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Germany’s nuclear providers set to be hit with massive atomic phase out bill
German energy companies should pay €23.34 billion into a state fund to finance the country's phase out of nuclear power. EURACTIV’s partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Germany urged to rethink climate goals
German environmental groups have called upon the government to up national climate protection targets and have called a recent amendment to the country's Renewable Energy Act (EEG) "counterproductive". EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany tells Belgium to take two nuclear reactors offline
Germany has called upon the Belgian government to take two of its nuclear reactors temporarily offline, as there are "open safety concerns", according to its environment minister. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU’s ageing nuclear reactors pose significant safety risks
It isn't just far-off Ukraine that has its worries about nuclear power. 128 nuclear power plants in the EU with an average age of 30.6 years provide food for thought that is much closer to home. EURACTIV's partner Tagesspiegel reports.
Overwhelming majority of Germans contaminated by glyphosate
The herbicide glyphosate can enter the body through food or drinking water. A new study has shown that the majority of Germans have been contaminated by the compound. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Berlin seeks to spark e-mobility with €5,000 incentive
The German government has floated the idea of providing incentives for people to buy electric cars. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel has proposed the initiative so that companies warm to the idea of buying electric car fleets. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany’s faltering coal-exit ambitions
How and when Germany will say goodbye to fossil fuels remains ambiguous. Berlin intends to present its 2050 climate protection strategy before summer 2016. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Dependence on coal jeopardises climate targets
Decarbonisation is the name of the game in this day and age; now a new study has shown how it should actually be implemented. EURACTIV's partner Tagesspiegel reports.
German 2020 climate targets in danger
The 40% target of German climate policy teeters on the edge. A new report has concluded that if the government continues on its current course, the goal will not be reached. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Voluntary efforts not enough to meet two degree climate target, study warns
A report issued by an international research team warns that efforts made by the international community are not enough to prevent a 2 degree temperature rise, but good foundations have been laid. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German checkouts to charge for plastic bags
Germany is set to tackle the excessive consumption of plastic carrier bags, after a trade association submitted an attractive proposal. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German states draft bill for nationwide GMO ban
Five state governments in Germany are putting pressure on Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt, introducing a bill for a nationwide ban on GMOs instead of his “patchwork” proposal. EURACTIV Germany reports.