Germany Opts for Economic Suicide

American Thinker ^ | 6-5-11 | Steve McCann

[radioone]

The narrative of the Obama presidency has been a soap opera, with the lead character careening from one dilemma to another -- never resolving any. Each episode ends on a cliffhanger -- a promise that the next show will grant resolution on whether the economy will grow or descend into a double-dip recession or will the Middle East become a idealized democratic wonderland or the tinderbox of a new world conflict.

Yet the lead in this drama is so self-assured that he feels a sense of entitlement to the trappings of the role he now portrays. President Obama has become the personification of political expediency and cynicism as his ego and vanity allow him to say or do anything in order to win re-election irrespective of the short or long-term well-being of the American people.

He is not alone. In Germany they too have a leader who feels no compunction in doing whatever it takes to win re-election regardless of the impact on the country's economy and future.

The government of Germany in an astonishing about face has decided to phase out all nuclear energy by 2022, shuttering many plants (up to 17) this year. It was only in September of 2010 that the same government headed by Angela Merkel came to the conclusion to extend the operating lives of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants, which had been scheduled to go off line by 2021 as a means of helping the country meet its ambitious goal of reducing CO 2 emissions.

The Green Party and movement have become a potent force in German politics and using the Fukushima reactor meltdown in Japan as a rallying point calling for the abolition of all nuclear power. Facing a contested re-election the current chancellor chose to side with the environmental lobby. Per Der Spiegel, "In Merkel's mind, the only thing that matters is that she remains chancellor." Political expediency and cynicism are alive not only on the banks of the Potomac but in halls of power in Berlin and many European capitals.

It is not clear in the recorded history of the current German landmass when the last time a 9.1 scale earthquake and massive tsunami simultaneously devastated that part of Europe. Perhaps in the Neogene Period (23.0 to 3.6 million years ago) but that's hard to say as accurate weather records were unavailable. As the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

The ethics commission had been given the task of "reevaluating" the risk of nuclear energy. But by the "reevaluate" what was meant was the slightest possibility of a nuclear accident similar to the one in Fukushima -- no matter how unlikely -- was now to be classified as unacceptable. What is being ignored in the process is the fact that each form of energy is associated with incalculable risks.

It took humanity hundreds of years to realize the dangers that burning fossil fuels pose to the environment and people's health. The harmful effects of an overhasty energy revolution will be mainly felt in economic and social terms -- and it is future generations that will be affected.

[For the record there has never been a significant nuclear accident in Germany.]

Now what does the country more obsessed and dominated by the Green Movement than any other in the world do now? Per Der Spiegel:

To begin with, electricity will get more expensive in Germany. The country's energy utility companies will opt to get money to finance their investments in new technology from the state or consumers. The bill for this has hardly been discussed and it could take quite some time before the blessings of the new eco-boom are felt.

One must also consider what the transformation will do to the natural landscape. If the government succeeds in rapidly expanding the electricity grid and constructs many additional wind parks and pumped-storage hydroelectricity plants, it will make Germany uglier -- not prettier. Despite the Greens' protestations to the contrary, there is no point in beating around the bush: Nobody wants wind turbines or utility poles in front of their home.

And the phase out will in the short-term focus on fossil fuel-based technology including gas and coal fired power plants. The Russians can rejoice thanks to the new Nord Stream gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea which will mean even more lucrative business with the Germans.

In addition, large German coal-fired plants will remain on line, generating ample amounts of CO2 from cheap imported coal.

But who wants to talk about the fine print?

Nuclear energy accounts for about 35% of Germany's electrical needs. By shutting it down completely the country will be extraordinarily dependent on the whims of another historically implacable foe: Russia. The ephemeral hope of so-called renewable sources such as solar and wind, cannot begin to substitute without a massive and unsustainable financial investment in infrastructure and destruction of the same environment the Green Movement is sworn to protect.

Perhaps no newspaper in Germany summarizes this headlong dash toward national suicide better than Die Welt:

The nuclear phase-out marks a creeping rejection of the economic model which has transformed Germany into one of the richest countries in the world in recent decades...What will the new energy age cost us Germans in terms of money and jobs? Are we completely indifferent to the risk of a major power outage? Just recently, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance warned that Germany is totally unprepared for a large-scale blackout.

It is certainly true that our economic system can survive without nuclear power in the long term. But it is careless to carry out a phase-out under extreme time pressure, rushing it through with scant regard for how fast the economy can adapt. Energy is the lifeblood of industry, which in turn is the basis of our economy and our prosperity. A stable energy supply is taken for granted in Germany and is an enormously important locational advantage when attracting foreign investment. The mere impression that this supply is no longer 100 per cent guaranteed would be enough to scare off investors.

For the United States, the countries of Europe have often been the harbinger of things to come. The same extremists that finally succeeded in Germany are in various positions of power, including the White House, here in America. Prosperity often creates strange bedfellows, it allows the most ego-centric individuals and ideologies that promote that sense of importance to flourish as these individuals have no concept of what creates, promotes or sustains the very prosperity that allows these groups to exist.

The United States can, if it chooses to reverse its current course, benefit from the national suicide Germany is bent on pursuing. By drastically modifying its regulatory, tax, and energy policies, America can become the most sought after location for investment and manufacturing in the world, particularly for those companies that will look to either leave Germany or for an alternative to that country. If not, then China will be the major beneficiary and America will fall further behind.

[TheOldLady]

Leftism is insanity, utter and total.

[Paladin2]

Well, I guess then that they'll always have Paris.

Especially Italy could use some demographic support.

[ponder life]

...eh...2022...that’s alot of Winter’s to live through. Once power bills goes up, people may have a change of heart. And that phase out date may be extended beyond 2022.