Jonas Rex-Quincke

How to lower CO2-Emissions of the Transportation Sector   „Innovation instead of instruments of torture against car users” is the title of my editorial on the German debate on CO2 emissions of the transportation sector. https://lnkd.in/ec8sGv7g For many weeks, the liberal German Transport Minister Volker Wissing has been criticized for not reaching the targets for lowering CO2-emissions by the transportation sector.   The Public German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) presented a report on “Getting the Transportation Sector on Course” (Report 59/2024) with suggestions for lowering the emissions of the transportation sector. These seem like a list of torture instruments for individual transport, car users and freight transport by lorry: Speed limits would be only a minor thing. What is asked for would be a tax called “Malus for combustion engines”, to be paid with the road tax of the first year. From 2025 onwards, for a simple Volkswagen Golf with a petrol engine of 150 horsepowers (110 kW), there would be an additional tax of 2760 Euro, from 2030 onwards a tax of 30.240 Euro, then mercifully reduced to half of the price of the car. On top, for all private cars, there is the request of a tax on every kilometer covered, initially 1,3 Eurocent, later more than 7 Eurocent per kilometer. Thus, individual transport should be cut by one quarter. Also freight transport should pay more, with tolls for all lorries and roads, which should be drastically increased.   The reason for these drastic measures should be the inability of the transport minister to increase the number of electric cars on the roads. But it is not his fault that there are not enough possibilities to charge cars at home or at work or that there is not enough green energy to charge the cars. This is the responsibility of the Green Minister for the Economy and Climate, Robert Habeck.   The general problem of German climate activists is that they want to make an example of Germany, forgetting the rest of the world. In Germany, in general, CO2-emissions have shrunk by 37 per cent from 1990 to 2022, in the EU by 27 per cent, while they have risen by 62 for the whole world, in China by 285 per cent. During the same period, the emissions of the German transportation sector have shrunk by 10 per cent, while they rose by 19 per cent in the EU, globally by 72 per cent.   Lowering the German contribution to the World CO2 emissions – 1,4 per cent in general and 0,27 per cent for the German transportation sector – will not save the climate. While German climate activists seem to desire the end of the local car industry, the opposite would be necessary: Innovations of the car industry, clever regulation, and openness of consumers for change would offer the chance for a contribution to lower global emissions.

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German speed🚀: The Bundestag is debating the Hydrogen Acceleration Act, which is intended to speed up the approval process for electrolysers, import terminals and transport pipelines, among other things. A great deal would be gained by reducing the authorisation requirements, making the process more robust and allowing early operation. Read what our partner Dr. Michael Schramm had to say about this in the Börsen-Zeitung (translation available). #regulatory #hydrogen #sharpminds

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"Verzögerung der #EUDR gefährdet Investitionen" - sagen auch Nestlé, Unilever und Mars 👀 Die EU-Verordnung für entwaldungsfreie Lieferketten ist ein Meilenstein. Der Bundesverband Nachhaltige Wirtschaft (BNW) berichtete nicht nur darüber, sondern arbeitet auch mit seinen Mitgliedsunternehmen an der Umsetzung. So wurden beispielsweise im Webinar mit der deutschen Umsetzungsbehörde BLE Fragen der Implementierung diskutiert. Und nun schließen sich auch Industriegrößen wie Unilever Nestlé Mars den Protesten gegen die Verzögerung bei der EUDR an: …aus dem Beitrag: „Set to be implemented on 30 December, the companies argue that the EU’s decision to delay the landmark deforestation policy is causing uncertainty across the industry and putting investment at risk. Ferrero global public affairs vice president Franceso Tramontin told the Financial Times that “avoiding potential reopening of the regulation” was fundamental to protecting the preparations companies had already made and to drive further investment in more sustainable practices.“ Weiterlesen hier: https://lnkd.in/dYyn7HnS 📷 BNW e. V. Simon Veith 🌱

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Stadt Flensburg will be the first municipality in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein to hold a citizens‘ jury followed by a referendum. On 1 October, the main committee of the Flensburg city council approved participation in the funded model project *Climate Meets Community*, in which the city of Osterburg in Saxony-Anhalt is already participating. The topic and question should come from the controversial transport sector. The main committee has approved the procedure with a clear majority (8 out of 11 votes). The 30 members of the citizens‘ jury will be randomly selected from the population. After hearings with experts and comprehensive discussions in up to six meetings, the mini-public will develop solutions for Flensburg's traffic planning. Whether these are implemented will ultimately be decided by the entire population of Flensburg in a referendum. All citizens are called upon to vote on some of the citizens' assembly recommendations at the ballot box. The result is binding. #KlimatrifftKommune

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While EFRAGs draft of the #VSME sustainability reporting standard is nearing completion before being handed over to the European Commission, it already shows that many of the demands of Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH) and SMEunited have been addressed. Double materiality analysis will not be required for SMEs that report voluntarily, and some data points — such as information on work-life balance — that are not demanded by SMEs’ business partners or banks will likely be excluded. In addition, the Policies, Actions and Targets (PAT) Module has been largely abolished in current drafts and partially integrated into the Basic Module. The Business Partner Module will become the Comprehensive Module, and a new Additional Financial Institutions (AFI) Module has been added. This will mostly serve to integrate information related to the future streamlined approach for non-listed SMEs to simplify reporting on their Taxonomy eligible activities that the Platform of Sustainable Finance is working on. However, there is still further need for improvement in order to create a standard that does not overburden SMEs by requiring data that they do not possess or could just obtain at high costs. #CSRD #sustainabilityreporting

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A strong signal to address fundamental challenges in the wind sector ! ↗️ Germany acts to ensure level playing field and data security in wind energy in its "five-point Action Plan" issued yesterday. ⚠️ The Action Plan reiterates Germany’s standpoint that onshore and offshore wind turbines are critical energy infrastructure and must be protected accordingly. ❌ The German Government acknowledges that there is no level-playing field between European and non-European wind turbine suppliers - and urges the EU to do something about it. 💻The German Government also commits to applying robust cyber and data security laws to its wind turbines to ensure the highest security standards. 🏭 The BMWK further intends to support the ramp up of Europe’s wind energy manufacturing capacity. Proposed measures to channel money into new and expanded wind turbine factories include a new support programme for financial guarantees provided by the German state-owned investment bank KfW. ➡️ The German 5-point Action Plan (in German) https://lnkd.in/eC9Sqkm3 #OffshoreWind

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German Tour operators can breathe a sigh of relief. The Deutscher Reisesicherungsfonds GmbH (DRSF) (German Travel Security Fund) is coping with the burden of the FTI GROUP insolvency faster than initially feared. Fees and security deposits do not have to be increased for the coming insurance period, as fvw | TravelTalk exclusively reports. What else DRSF bosses Prof. Dr. Ali Arnaout and Dr. Stefan Mees are planning. #drsf #reisesicherungsfonds #ftigroup #travelindustry #fvwtraveltalk

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Germany: Economy “Lack of foreign orders” - Exporters' mood increasingly gloomy Exports are a German specialty. But the country's exporters are complaining about declines - so far with no prospect of improvement. A few sectors are exempt from this. 25.09.2024 Sentiment in the German export industry deteriorated for the fourth month in a row in September. The barometer for export expectations fell to minus 6.3 points, from minus 5.2 points in August. This was announced by the Munich-based Ifo Institute, based on a company survey. This is the worst value since February. “Industry is complaining about a lack of orders from abroad,” says Ifo survey director Klaus Wohlrabe. “The export economy is in a weak phase.” The majority of companies are expecting a decline in orders from abroad. “The metal sector and the automotive industry in particular are expecting significant losses,” says the Ifo Institute. Only a few sectors are still expecting growth. These include food and beverage producers. Manufacturers of glassware and ceramics are also hoping for rising foreign sales. In the chemical industry, the positive and negative responses balance each other out: Export business is likely to remain unchanged here. Declines in business with China and the USA German exports to the world's two largest economies have recently fallen significantly: deliveries to the USA fell by 3.2 percent year-on-year to 12.6 billion euros in August, while those to China plummeted by as much as 15.2 percent to 7.0 billion euros. The weakening export business is one reason why the leading research institutes are taking a more pessimistic view of the German economy. In their fall report for the German government, they expect gross domestic product to fall by 0.1 percent this year, according to people familiar with the figures. In March, a mini increase of 0.1 percent was predicted. For the coming year 2025, the forecast was cut from 1.4 to 0.8 percent. For 2026, the institutes are forecasting growth of 1.3 percent. The Joint Economic Forecast will be published on Thursday, meaning that the figures could still change slightly before then. It serves as the basis for the German government's projections in October, which in turn form the basis for the tax estimate. https://lnkd.in/ghSXt_GX

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Germany: Generous subsidies from the state Habeck plan at an end? Projects worth billions are failing non-stop 21.09.2024 The Minister of Economic Affairs is funding companies with billions of euros for the green transition. But one project after another is failing. Is the approach fizzling out ineffectively? In spring 2023, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck declared a “transformative supply policy” to be his central approach to mastering the transition to climate neutrality and competition with China and the USA. A year and a half later, core projects of Habeck's approach are in question: a few days ago, news broke in Magdeburg that the semiconductor manufacturer Intel is postponing a 30 billion euro investment and may never realize it. Every third euro for the project was supposed to come from the state - but was not enough for Intel. In the Ruhr region, Germany's largest steel manufacturer Thyssenkrupp is in a crisis that is fundamentally calling the location into question. Two billion euros in subsidies have been promised, but are only enough for a quarter of the production capacity at most. How the rest of the restructuring is to be financed is unknown. 24 billion for the conversion Habeck's approach is intended to partially finance the climate-friendly conversion of 'old' basic industries such as steel production, but also to enable the establishment of large microchip factories as industries of the future. The German government has made billions of euros in state funding available to individual companies. These large-scale subsidies now total 24 billion euros. But there is more bad news: - The chip manufacturer Wolfspeed - subsidized with half a billion euros - has also postponed its relocation to Saarland. - Battery manufacturer Northvolt is canceling a series of investments, although not yet the planned plant in Schleswig-Holstein. - The global steel group Arcelor Mittal is still considering whether 1.3 billion euros in state aid will be enough to make its German sites fit for the future. “Yes, this is clearly failing” Has the core of Habeck's transformative supply policy - the preservation and relocation of industrial beacons - already failed again? Spahn believes it is wrong to make billions of euros available to individual companies and thus become dependent on their decisions. The fundamental problem is that productivity, and therefore the economy as a whole, is no longer growing. A “sensible supply-side policy” that is not limited to climate transformation is therefore appropriate: lower taxes, less bureaucracy, cheaper energy. “The Scholz-Habeck delusion is that transformation creates growth,” says Spahn. “The proof is now in that this is not the case. It's the other way around: Growth is the prerequisite for being able to invest in climate protection.” https://lnkd.in/gvhyh3rr

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#fundingalert 💼Company: Black Semiconductor  💰Funding: €254.4 Million  ⚡Round: Seed 👥Investors: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klimaschutz und Energie des Landes NRW, Porsche Ventures, Project A, East Hill Equity - Managing Scania Growth Capital, Capnamic, TVF | TechVision Fonds, NRW.BANK, Vsquared Ventures, Cambium Capital Management, Onsight Ventures. Black Semiconductor is a deep tech company introducing a new generation of chip technology by leveraging graphene technology to create powerful chip networks with unparalleled performance, connecting thousands of chips to allow them to interact as if they were one. The company plans to inaugurate a pilot manufacturing facility in Aachen by 2026, demonstrating the seamless integration of graphene into electronic chips. Additionally, Black Semiconductor aims to increase its headcount, planning to create 90 new high-tech positions, boosting its total workforce from 30 to 120 by 2026. Daniel Schall, Uwe Horstmann, Patrick Huke, Cedric Huyghebaert Read more - https://lnkd.in/gwWpqq5q To share your startup story write us on - [email protected] #BlackSemiconductor #deeptech #leveraginggraphene #BLK #news #funding #fundingnews #startup #startupnews #startuprise

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#DMEXCO is next on the agenda. Three sessions are planed for me on stage: "Vergleichbarkeit und Standardisierung im digitalen Zeitalter – Die Reichweitenforschung der AGF" - on 18th from 10:10 to 10:50 on Future TV Stage. Discussing with Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf about the joint POC on combining AGF Panel Data with Utiq ID infrastructure to deliver a new level of audience verification. "Das hinausgezögerte Ende der Third Party Cookies: Zeitgewinn und Chance für die Werbebranche" - on 19th from 11:00 to 11:20 at Media Stage. Speaking with Rasmus Giese and Uli Hegge about the Post Cookie World and how Utiq and European netID Foundation can solve the issue. "Des Kaisers Digitale Kleider" - on 19th from 14:50 to 15:10 at Experience Stage. Speaking about a world where perception often beats reality, we rarely question the obvious. How do vanity, groupthink and the fear of social rejection influence our actions? And what this has to do with cookies and ID solutions.

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#tb to last Tuesday: On May 14, 2024, the Energy Hub Port of Wilhelmshaven (EHPoW) hosted an event at the Lower Saxony State Representation in Berlin. As a "member from the very beginning", Uniper was well represented on site. In the exhibition area, guests were able to obtain information about Uniper's projects in the Energy Transformation Hub Northwest (ETHNw). In the Energy Hub Port of Wilhelmshaven, more than 30 companies have formed a network to drive forward the transformation of the economy in the Wilhelmshaven region towards climate neutrality. The foundations for this development are being laid with ambitious projects in the fields of the hydrogen economy, renewable energies and climate-neutral industry. These projects have the potential to cover a large part of Germany's demand for hydrogen and future energy sources. Find out more about it here: https://lnkd.in/eeyUstah #uniper #hydrogen #decarbonisation #renewables

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Japan and hydrogen, it is a love relationship soon to be made in heaven too. Japan is entering the race with Airbus and Boeing to develop a climate-friendly passenger aircraft. The development is not starting from scratch, but can benefit from the experience of a failed passenger jet project by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. My tech column in the German version of MIT Technology Review DE. #hydrogen #aerospace https://lnkd.in/gb2HZcg4

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BRUSSELS. The new EU Commission is making war sustainable and green. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that she would usher in a "new era of European defence and security". At the heart of these ambitions are billions of euros in investments in armaments. According to von der Leyen, at least 500 billion euros are to be made available over the next ten years to strengthen Europe against threats such as Russia. In order to mobilize these funds, the EU Commission plans to include defense companies in the "sustainable" category. This step could make the industry more attractive to investors. According to the "Strategy for the EU Defense Industry" (EDIS) presented in March, this would make it easier to integrate defense companies into "green" funds - something that is often difficult for investors to understand. https://lnkd.in/e9Q8_wZj

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Our recent work on Europe's hydrogen infrastructure needs In the study, we modelled various scenarios to explore the scale and configuration of infrastructure needed to support a low-carbon transition effectively. Key Findings: 💡  Large-Scale Infrastructure is Essential: Even with moderate demand scenarios, substantial infrastructure will be required. 💡 Local Production Potential: Around 90% of Europe’s hydrogen demand can be met through domestic production, with imports accounting for only about 10%, provided renewable energy sources (RES) are optimally utilized across the continent. This highlights the importance of cross-border cooperation, as coordinated planning for energy and infrastructure can significantly reduce overall system costs 🤝 💡 Strategic Electrolyzer Deployment: Initial electrolyzer development will focus on wind-rich areas in Northern Europe, gradually expanding to solar-rich regions in Southern Europe 💨☀️ 💡 Efficient Transport Corridors: hydrogen pipelines connecting production hubs with industrial demand centers, such as Western Germany, the Netherlands, and Flanders, are more cost-effective than expanding the electrical grid to support local electrolysis.

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German Infrastructure in crisis Swiss rail boss feels sorry for passengers in Germany The problems at Deutsche Bahn are also making headlines internationally. The head of Swiss Railways sympathizes with customers here in Germany, but still does not want to let badly delayed trains into his country. 27.09.2024 When trains arrive from Germany, the Swiss were often frustrated by the delays. In the meantime, they no longer allow trains with long delays to enter the country so as not to disrupt their own operations. Instead, the Swiss railroads operate their own trains from Basel with punctual departures. Guests from Germany then have to change to the next train. Swiss rail boss Vincent Ducrot has now publicly expressed his sympathy for Deutsche Bahn's situation. “Your country has a very complex system that is not in a good state,” he told the ‘Tagesspiegel’ newspaper. “I sympathize with the dedicated railroad workers and the customers.” Swiss rail boss criticizes DB Group structure Switzerland is known for its comparatively punctual trains. Ducrot wants to maintain this and therefore probably still not allow any delayed trains from Germany into Switzerland. The manager told the newspaper: “DB is responsible up to the border. From then on, I have to offer my customers a good service.” Ducrot's analysis of the railroads in Germany: “Too little has been done for the network. That is taking its revenge today.” German politicians are also not doing enough here. “First there was a lot of money for the railroads, then the plan was scrapped, now they are desperately trying to find new funds. You have to secure it in the long term.” In Ducrot's view, the railroads are not digitalized enough. The head of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) also believes that the German company's corporate structure, which divides infrastructure, passenger transport and freight transport into different companies, is a problem. “It's only understandable that people then talk to each other less and look after themselves first.” To Deutsche Bahn's credit, it can perhaps be argued that the expansion of the infrastructure in many areas is now being tackled in this country - especially that of the 200-kilometer route between Karlsruhe and Basel. Four tracks are to be laid along the entire route by 2035. However, Switzerland and Germany had already agreed in 1996 to expand the line by means of an international treaty in order to create more space for passenger and freight trains. https://lnkd.in/gxNRPepV

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Because it does matter. The upcoming EU election will be one of the most important in recent history. Populist parties are on the rise. Hate and intolerance are on the rise. Across Europe. Pretending to have simple answers to complex challenges. It is a lie. I am concerned about our democracies if we let the loud minorities determine the public debate. Taking a stance and standing up for our values is imperative these days. We believe an open and tolerant society is directly linked with prosperity and freedom. Very impressive video storytelling to remember all of us what is at stake at the ballots. #Europe #democracy #values https://lnkd.in/ewBmgAJW

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2025 Infrastructure Outlook: The Digital Power Problem 25.11.2024 - Investoren Plattform News: Infrastructure Two of our major themes, digitalization and the energy transition, are converging. Data centers and other large-scale power users are starting to have trouble sourcing enough electricity for their operations. Supported by transformative technologies like artificial intelligence, the increased demand for data creates a compelling backdrop to invest in the hard assets enabling the digital […] und mehr als 9.900 weitere Artikel finden Sie unter: https://lnkd.in/eYZk6Yt4

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Approved Hydrogen Core Network by Germany's Federal Network Agency 💧 ⚡ A massive €19 billion investment in a 9,040 km hydrogen network was just approved. This is a major milestone towards a cleaner, greener future. The network will connect key industrial areas and pave the way for a hydrogen-powered economy. This ambitious project aligns with Germany's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045. "The core network is the starting point for a new infrastructure and a central building block of the energy transition." - Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs & Climate Action "With the approved hydrogen core network, the network operators can now gradually build and operate the infrastructure for hydrogen. The first lines will be converted from next year," said Klaus Mueller, president of the Federal Network Agency. ➡Hydrogen Core Network Overview ▪ Key Industrial Supply: The network will supply hydrogen to Germany's largest industrial locations. ▪ Climate-Neutral Future: This enables energy-intensive industries to become climate-neutral. ▪ Nationwide Connectivity: The core network will connect central hydrogen locations across all federal states via motorways. ▪ Extensive Pipeline Network: The approved network spans a total of 9,040 kilometers, with 60% repurposed from existing natural gas pipelines. #HydrogenNetwork #ClimateAction #GreenEconomy #Germany #Hydrogen

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