Wolfgang Lucht

Mingling at the event marking the 40th birthday of Germany's Ministry for the Environment - founded in 1986, after the Chornobyl shock.

Let's see what this gathering of former ministers and all of us associates in one way or another have to say. Or the former chancellor Merkel, who'll be giving a speech?

A celebration of all that was achieved? Or a sober accounting of all that was not, that the industrial machine plowed under, sometimes easily, sometimes after vicious campaigns?

This summer, I am teaching a course on socio-ecological transformation, from analysis of the ecological crisis to questions of constitutional legitimacy to strategies.

It fit right in that today - during this week's "Theme Week Science Against #Fascism" at German universities - I offered i.a. engagement with Laurence Britt's 14 characteristics of fascism (2003), and Robert Paxton's 5 Stages of Fascism (1998).

Academia can no longer afford to ignore the illiberal right's attacks on science.

Chaos in Berlin's public transport. Or: How a 60 minute connection turns into a 100 minute problem. This morning, in just these 60 minutes, we've had delays due to a previous delay, due to construction, due to the track being occupied by another train, due to a medical emergency, due to a train having been cancelled, and due to a signal failure. This is the daily experience of patiently suffering Berliners. No wonder students frequently are late to lectures. I might be, too.

The first of my local fuel stations has replaced half of its pumps with 300 kw fast chargers.

It remains outrageous that you can't just pay a uniform price straight-up but are expected to negotiate memberships, schemes and special promotions.

Still. It's a sign of change.

In its legally mandated evaluation of German climate policy, the Expert Council on Climate (ERK) today again arrives at this conclusion:

"The Expert Council therefore expects that even if the measures of the German Climate Programme were to be fully implemented, none of the legally binding targets to 2040 would be achieved."

Press release:
https://expertenrat-klima.de/fileadmin/ERK/Pressemitteilungen_Meldungen/ERK2026_Pr%C3%BCfbericht-2026_Pressemitteilung.pdf

Full report:
https://expertenrat-klima.de/fileadmin/ERK/Berichte/ERK2026_Pr%C3%BCfbericht-Emissionsdaten2025-Projektionsdaten2026.pdf

Munich's City Hall yesterday.
Because, you know, human rights matter.

Today is freedom day here in Germany: our gvmt has decided to finally give back to us our birthright to install and use planet- and future-destroying fossil heating systems for as long as we want.

Of course we'll use that freedom to decide we won't, won't we!? Just like we've always chosen climate protection all these years.

Because yes, we firmly stand with our climate targets. Zero emissions, somehow, while we exercise our inalienable right to emissions.

Or something like that.

/irony off/

Registration is open for our conference!
(for in-person attendance in Berlin)

I'll also give a speech at the end :-)
And there'll be a live stream.

🌍 Planetary Boundaries > Sufficiency > Ecological Democracy 🌏

https://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Termine/EN/2024_2028/2026_09_Trafo.html

📢💣🔥"Living Within Planetary Boundaries:
Facing Facts, Rethinking Strategies. Building Bridges. A European Sufficiency Conference." 🌍🌏🌎🌿

This is the name of the conference I am helping co-organise with a team, in Berlin, on Oct. 6, 2026 - hosted by SRU, UBA and EEAC.

👉 Finally, our preliminary programme is online!

Download here; and register if you're interested in attending. We've already seen huge interest in the first few hours! Will also be streamed.

https://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Termine/EN/2024_2028/2026_09_Trafo.html

#sufficiency

On the one hand, it's really good that the intl. "Coalition of Frontrunners" has met in Santa Marta to discuss transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Chaired by Columbia and The Netherlands, 57 countries participated, representing 1/3 of global GDP - among them oil and gas producers, though not the big players.

This is an attempt to move forward as time is running short on climate heating and the UN's consensus politics has been hijacked by vested interests to derail what is needed.

1/6

The talk I gave today, followed by a discussion with leaders, pastors and other actors in the region's Protestant church, was entitled "Climate, Earth and Ecological Civilisation".

It consisted of 4 parts:
1. Planetary boundaries: it's about more than climate; and it's about justice
2. Sufficieny - a strategy of the enough, integrity and mental clarity
3. Ecological democracy: an unfinished project
4. Being church in the Anthropocene: we're to be a force of life, not of death.

Interested in ... circularity in the building sector?
🏚️🏠🏡🌿

Tomorrow: 👉 Webinar by the German government's Council on the Environment, SRU (in German) 👈

We will present and discuss our latest recommendations to the government.

Webinar here:
https://64hlf.r.sp1-brevo.net/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeFuBoQGFC4aVVnD21uCp/zYE3zs3dGP0L

Short topical video summary:
https://64hlf.r.sp1-brevo.net/mk/cl/f/sh/SMK1E8tHeG13GZ5CNEjzbcVm0Cn5/M1kFuqItoJwT

Full text of our report here:
https://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/04_Stellungnahmen/2024_2028/2026_04_Zirkulaer_bauen_Download.pdf

Along the #Havel river in #Brandenburg, I once again encountered traces of beaver activity - some fresh, some older. Amazingly, these huge old oak trees on water's edge seem to not yet have fully succumbed to the action, as far as I could tell, sprouting new leaves.

Even further inland, along one of the large ditches draining the fenland to keep it arable (causing lots of CO2 emissions btw) had traces of beaver activity in a few places (last picture).

I've never actually seen one.

Yesterday:
the illiberal hard right - frighteningly supported by a full 1/4 of the population - promoted in parliament a proposition insinuating that freedom of science is not ensured at our academic institutions.

Today:
they revealed what they meant, by having debated in parliament their proposition that 🇩🇪 end all of its efforts to protect climate and exit all climate treaties.

Their "freedom of science" is an assault on science. Their reasoning shows complete disregard for facts.

Our new report was presented this morning to the Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building, Verena Hubertz, and the Minister for the Environment, Carsten Schneider, who were both present and applauded these scientific recommendations on more circularity in the renovation of existing buildings.

The location was the famous "Dreispitzpassage" in downtown Berlin, until recently an aging shopping mall that is now being converted into affordable housing, with a focus on re-using materials.

This morning, we published our newest report - and handed it to the German government, represented by two of its ministers.

Entitled "Circularity in Buildings: Preserving what we have, closing material cycles", it's about re-using building materials and ensuring future ability to dismantle. Current buildings are an important stock of materials to be re-used. More circularity is advised when renovating buildings.

Here's the full text (for now only in German, 94 ppm):
https://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/04_Stellungnahmen/2024_2028/2026_04_Zirkulaer_bauen_Download.html

It's telling how quickly, almost casually, discussion has passed over the 🇩🇪 gvmt's deficient new Climate Protection Programme, published March 25.

I still find the most troublesome aspect the complete lack of a coherent strategy, reflecting a serious lack of determination.

I suspect the gvmt might be playing for time: before the highest courts call it to task once more, another two years will have passed - safely kicking the challenge to the next gvmt. But by then, it will be too late.

Here's me - in 1973, with the last Saturn V rocket on the launch pad.

Little did I know I'd be a scientist.

"The world's largest producer of aviation biofuel, Finnish fuel firm Neste, has been using banned palm oil instead of recycled cooking oil, according to Swedish public broadcaster SVT."

A former manager: "The entire biofuel market has problems with fake raw materials."

https://yle.fi/a/74-20216793

The assessment of the Expert Council on Climate, an expert control panel established under the Climate Law, is scathing. In its press release, it squarely comes to the conclusion that "the Climate Protection Programme 2026 does not meet the requirements of §9 Climate Protection Law. Under the caveat of a more in-depth analysis, the Expert Council expects that with a high probability the current measures will not be sufficient for ensuring that climate targets are met."
https://expertenrat-klima.de/presse/pressemitteilung-zur-stellungnahme-zum-entwurf-des-klimaschutzprogramms-2026

And here's the document as a whole:
https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/klimaschutzprogramm_2026_bf.pdf

Here's the press release with info, as described by the Ministry for the Environment (in German):
https://presse.bundesumweltministerium.de/m/16976456/553750-b17ad0ab380afe1b2cdce0dc17e295693ef55be7a914232d7d8c089014fc3d98c90da2552f6a2d92fc49905ad88ab9df

This noon, the 🇩🇪 gvmt will present its "Climate Protection Programme" at the press conference centre that it's legally obliged to produce to detail how the objectives of the climate law are to be achieved. Watch the press conference live at phoenix.de

Of course hopes aren't high that this gvmt would commit to the transformative actions necessary for a responsible future. The early drafts were a collection of descriptions lacking in mechanisms. But hope dies last and it's just so important.

💀🌎 CNN #Climate:

"The Trump administration announced it will pay nearly $1 billion to French energy giant TotalEnergies in exchange for the company abandoning plans to build offshore wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean and instead pursue fossil fuel projects in the US. TotalEnergies will now spend the money on the development of a new liquified natural gas plant in Texas that will help export US LNG overseas to Europe."

Ok, so let me try to summarise today's verdict by the Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest civil law court @BGH_Bund@social.bund.de :

Globally active 🇩🇪 automakers cannot be held legally accountable for causing excessive CO2 emissions #Climate because:

* Germany's obligations under Paris do not imply liability by automakers for their contribution to prospective exceedance of targets

Cont'd

1/4

https://www.bundesgerichtshof.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2026/2026054.html

"If we aim to see a revolution and not just a spectacular collapse, we need to create from between the cracks of the old something that already is new. It's not about repairing the rickety frame in its current form, and certainly not using the building blocks of lording over things. We have to overgrow the frame with relationships of a new kind."

A short section from a book I recommend: the 2020 text on a "Revolution for Life" by Eva von Redecker, @evas_notizen@mastodon.social

Media reports on the former power plant in Rheinsberg illustrate the reality of nuclear energy. The plant
* opened 1966, was small at only 60 MW
* shut down in 1990 after 24 yrs due to risk
* deconstruction began in 1995
* demolition costs to date: 0.85 bn euros (estimate had been: 0.42 bn)
* full removal not before mid-2040ies, over 50 yrs needed
* removal cost to reach 1.5 bn
* Germany still lacks ultra-long-term nuclear waste storage

Wikipedia, or here w/o paywall:
https://lomazoma.com/der-rueckbau-dauert-ueber-50-jahre-und-kostet-milliarden-euro/

The new emission numbers for 🇩🇪 are out. As expected, it's not looking good - there's a huge gap btw actions & words.

"Last year, 🇩🇪 emitted 649 million tons of CO2e. Emissions declined by ... 0.1% from 2024." In other words: basically not at all.

The energy sector reduced emissions, but only slightly. The transport & buildings sectors *increased* their emissions. Great time to further weaken policies!

To meet 2030 targets, emissions have to decline not by 0.9 - but 42 mio tons CO2e annually.

Statement by Carsten Schneider, Minister for the Environment 🇩🇪, on the EU Commission President's support for nuclear power:

"It speaks volumes that the core of this backwards-looking strategy is new subsidies for nuclear power plants. When after three quarters of a century a risky technology still depends on state infusions and better alternatives are available, one should draw conclusions. To instead spend even more tax money on risky reactors is something I reject."

https://presse.bundesumweltministerium.de/m/16936469/553750-248c7e9b6c9cda21eda76115ff2aff0cbabfd59f3938e20592dba676dbf1cc69dada15e9300dc30ca130ffa5323ac0cc