Thursday, May 20, 2021

Bits of German News

 1.  Nord Stream II gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.  Trump had sanctions up to halt the project (roughly 90-percent done).  As Biden came into....the pro-pipeline German crowd felt relief, but Biden delayed his view of the pipeline.  Yesterday....Biden did the waiver for all of the remaining pipeline business, so it'll happen now.  End of the story?  Well, there's criticism over Biden's decision in the US but the pipeline will wrap up, and Nord Stream I (the old one from fifty-odd years ago through the Ukraine)....probably will shutdown within the next two or three years.

2.  Unusual May weather?  Well....the jet stream has flipped in the past four weeks, and there's a fair amount of rain from the Atlantic, with cooler (say 3 to 5 degree) temperatures.  While it's near 30 degrees C in Moscow....we were at 16 degrees C yesterday.  More rain forecasted?  Flooding is expected to start in the next week because of the excess of water.  

3.  New study done on Covid and public transportation in Germany.  The study says no additional risk if you ride the railway system.  The report is being criticized. 

4.  Green Party has a new agenda in open discussion.  N-TV discussed this in the AM today.  Name for program?  'Natural Climate Protection'.  So, it has a cost impact.  Around 10-percent of the collected revenue from the country's federal energy and climate fund would be spent to 'restore nature', and then lessen the effect of the climate crisis.  

Amount in this first part?  2.6 billion Euro.  The catch to this?  Well....there's going to be some kind of C02 trade going on with emissions.  Money will shift from one pocket to another pocket, and have some unknown value or lack of value.  

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