Coal-fired Germany is burning 27 times faster than Brexit Britain, 3 mths before COP26

EU’s largest economy remains a major coal-hungry polluter, despite ‘green agenda’

Montage Facts4EU.Org 2021

Brexit Britain leads EU (once again) on major source of pollution, even without ‘climate change’

Less than three months before Boris Johnson hosts world leaders in Glasgow on 31 Oct 2021 as part of the UK's presidency of the UN’s Climate Change Conference of the Parties – COP26 – Facts4EU.Org reveals some stark facts on this hot topic.

As a massive consumer of energy, Germany will of course be present in Glasgow. Our analysis and summary looks at one aspect of the whole climate change narrative – coal power – and compares the United Kingdom with the EU’s largest economy: Germany. Regardless of any climate change arguments, the burning of coal is considered by most people as a big polluter. Hence this report.

IMPORTANT : The climate change debate is rapidly becoming highly relevant to ordinary people, as the UK Government has embarked on unprecedented and highly expensive policies which will affect everyone. Many of these policies proscribe what readers will be allowed to do in the near future, and they most certainly will cost each and every reader a lot of money personally.

The Climate Change Act and its subsequent amendments are set to affect individual freedoms, and as such Facts4EU.Org believes that the ‘fog’ should be cleared and people need to be informed in simple and unambiguous terms what is being done in their name.

If we had funding we would of course address all aspects. Given our extremely limited resources, however, all we can do is raise public awareness with occasional, short, one-topic reports such as the one below. We ask readers please only to comment on the content of each article, rather than straying into the much wider debate.

Germany, coal, and pollution in Western Europe

Amongst environmental scientists coal is seen as the No.1 polluting energy source in terms of the amount of CO2 it produces per unit of energy. It is one of a family of fossil fuels, but it is the most significant.

Facts4EU.Org looked at some metrics about coal, comparing the EU’s largest economy, Germany, with the United Kingdom. This seems particularly apt, given Germany’s reputation for having a very strong ‘Green’ element in its politics. Indeed until a couple of months ago Germany’s Green Party was leading the polls in the race to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor in November’s elections, before its leader was caught up in plagiarism allegations.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Pollution from coal – Germany versus the United Kingdom

1. Electricity generation from coal

United Kingdom: 5 TWh (“TWh=”Terrawatt-hours”)
Germany: 134 TWh
Germany’s rate is almost 27 times higher than that of the UK

2. Share of electricity coming from coal

United Kingdom: 1.7%
Germany: 23.7%
Germany’s proportion of coal-fired electricity is almost 14 times higher than that of the UK

3. Coal production in each country, expressed in TWh

United Kingdom: 16 TWh
Germany: 351 TWh
Germany’s production of coal is almost 22 times higher than in the UK

4. Consumption of all energy usage coming from coal

United Kingdom: 54 TWh
Germany: 512 TWh
Germany’s consumption of all energy coming from coal is over 9 times higher than that of the UK

5. Share of all energy generated from coal

United Kingdom: 3.35%
Germany: 17.53%
Germany’s share of all energy generated by coal is over 5 times higher than that of the UK

Observations

Just like the United Kingdom, Germany has policies in place to reduce its dependence on coal. Its problem is that it is starting from a much, much higher base.

The simple fact now is that Germany is responsible for far more pollution from its use of coal in industry and in its electricity generation than is the UK.

It also doesn’t help Germany’s ‘green credentials’ that it opened a brand new coal-fired power station in only May last year. What was Angela Merkel thinking?

This report is only about coal

To reiterate some of the points we made at the start of this report, Facts4EU.Org has confined the subject matter to just one aspect of the whole climate change debate. We chose an emotive and relatively undisputed one: that of the burning of coal and its polluting effects. You do not have to take a position on climate change to believe that in general the world would be a cleaner place if we didn’t burn as much coal.

We urge readers please to comment only on this aspect. We can’t cover all climate change issues in one report.

Finally, dissent and freedom of speech

Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, has effectively deemed that climate change is a settled matter. At Facts4EU.Org we have enquiring minds – just like the majority of our readers. We believe that all sides of the debate should be heard. We think the public has a right to hear from those scientists who disagree with the orthodoxy and that such people should not be in effect ‘de-platformed’.

Whilst our resources are now pitifully low, we are nevertheless interested to know if readers would like us to analyse the Government’s climate change policies, and their huge concomitant costs, and attempt to expose some basic facts which the public should know about.

No matter who you believe on ‘the science’, real and dramatic changes are coming to our lifestyles, and real and very high costs will soon be hitting our pockets. If Facts4EU.Org isn’t around to analyse and present the basic facts simply, who will?

Facts4EU.Org and you

Most of our readers are well-informed and appreciate our fact-based articles, presented in a way you won't see anywhere else. If you value reports like the one above - and the further two parts to come - please help our work with a donation. We have far more to do in researching, publishing, campaigning and lobbying Parliament than we have in terms of the financial resources to fulfil these tasks. We badly need funding to continue - we rely 100% on public donations from readers like you. We are a 'not for profit' team (we make a loss) and any donation goes towards the actual work, not plush London offices, lunch or taxi expenses, or other luxuries of some organisations. Nor do we ask you for further donations if you donate once - we just hope that you keep supporting us. Your donation stays anonymous unless you tell us otherwise.

If you believe in a fully-free, independent, and sovereign United Kingdom, please make a donation now. It’s quick, secure, and confidential, and you can use one of the links below or you can use our Donations page here. You will receive a personal, friendly ‘thank you’ from a member of our team within 24 hours. Thank you for reading this.

[ Sources: OWID | BP Statistical Review of World Energy | Shift Data Project | Ember ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Facts4EU.Org, Mon 02 Aug 2021

Click here to go to our news headlines

Please scroll down to COMMENT on the above article.
And don't forget to actually post your message after you have previewed it!

Something to say about this? Scroll down for reader comments

Since before the EU Referendum, Brexit Facts4EU.Org
has been the most prolific researcher and publisher of Brexit facts in the world.

Supported by MPs, MEPs, & other groups, our work has impact.

We think facts matter. Please donate today, so that we can continue to ensure a clean Brexit is finally delivered.

Any credit card user

Quick One-off

From £5 - £1,000

Monthly

From £3 per month

Paypal Users Only - Choose amount first

Quick One-off

Monthly

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT : You can write your comment under any existing comments below. After you have clicked to preview your comment, you MUST then click on the CAPTCHA system and send you comment, for it to be published. Thank you!

Reader Comments 10

1. Linda Thurlow , Monday, August 02, 2021, 06:50:

The hypocrisy of Frau Merkel is staggering.

2. Ivan Opinion , Monday, August 02, 2021, 07:28:

Seems it’s only the UK that’s implementing the ‘Go green to save the Planet’ nonsense.

3. Beverley Atkinson , Monday, August 02, 2021, 07:44:

Another case of "do as I say"

4. Bridget Mayes , Monday, August 02, 2021, 08:28:

We should challenge our push towards the use of biomass (wood pellets) to feed our former coal-burning power stations though. This is being subsidised at the cost of £1bn a year and in the southern states of America where this is often sourced from native forests (not plantations, not waste wood from the floors of furniture factories), this woodland is being devastated (there is no compulsion to replant), and poor communities, where the timber is processed into pellets, are being invaded by huge trucks, polluted by their fumes and by the highly hazardous wood dust from the pellet-plants. Burning wood is neither sustainable nor clean. (And this applies to woodburning stoves too; see p. 16 of the UK government's Clean Air Strategy which makes clear their health hazards). How did this happen and where does the EU come in to it? Check out the EU's Renewable Energy Directive 2 of 2013 (since amended to some degree). This was challenged in the European courts but lost on a technicality (the plaintiffs had no right to sue, apparently). https://www.fern.org/public... https://elc-insight.org/for... https://www.cutcarbonnotfor... https://www.dogwoodalliance...

5. whatwouldmikeydo , Monday, August 02, 2021, 10:47:

But in 150 years Britain will be facing claims for ruining the planet due to the Industrial Revolution

6. Michael Burnhill , Monday, August 02, 2021, 10:53:

How Germany has handicapped it's competition with green energy costs whilst using coal to keep its energy overheads low. Isn't it time to put tarriffs on German exports to reflect this. After all shouldn't the polluter pay?

7. Diane , Monday, August 02, 2021, 11:33:

Germany is reportedly the 6th largest CO2 emitter, a quarter of its energy production in 2020 being from coal. As far as I know, their coal phase out commitment is targeted for 2038. Back in 2019 there were still 11 of the EU states receiving much EU funding to help them with development support to do away with their coal fired power but little, if anything, was being done by those countries. This situation may well have improved since then of course but there are bound to be some who will continue to lag behind. Britain’s last deep coal mine ( North Yorkshire) closed 5 years ago. The UK has already made a lot of progress, much more than many others, and with a much earlier phase out date though a first deep coal mine in 30 years was proposed in recent times for Cumbria and last year set to be approved - on an eventual operational time limited date to 2049 - which to many seemed to be reasonable in terms of its aim of a specific type of steel production and the argument for jobs, likely reduction of imports, regional & national interest. After opposition from activists and others this is I believe on hold. Surely all economies need a balance of energy sources and well thought through & well timed strategies. This manic drive for us all to become reliant on one source in particular is worrying & foolhardy in my opinion and not likely to be a level playing field anyway. I personally would welcome more facts to keep us informed.

8. Anthony Marques , Monday, August 02, 2021, 11:34:

The latest estimated cost of £1.4 trillion to meet net zero carbon by 2050 is going to be a painful and pointless for the British taxpayer if Germany and China are going to continue opening coal burning power plants.
Personally I don't think banning petrol cars by 2030 isn't going to work unless the standard of living for the working class increases exponentially to afford electric cars.

9. Adam Hiley , Monday, August 02, 2021, 16:57:

The sooner Merkel Johnson and the Bidens of the world are no longer in office the better we would be

10. John Szymanowski , Thursday, August 05, 2021, 10:56:

The article highlights the expensively foolish 'Green' policies the UK is pursuing- even if the UK went zero carbon tomorrow ,it would not make the blindest bit of difference to global C02 emmissions. The UK needs to spend its money on mitigating the effects of climate change- flood defences,house insulation etc - than,a la King Canute, on trying to stop climate change.

Add comment:

Please note: Your email address is never published unless you choose to enter it.