German Gas Crisis: Who is really responsible? A case study

  

by Muhammad Sheraz Khan

Professional Essay/Article Writer and Editor

sherazajk@gmail.com

This article is intended for those researchers and students who want to explore the real agendas behind the gas crisis in Germany, and for those who are learners of the social sciences. For instance, students of journalism and politics can take help from this article. 

Why Germany is on the hit list?

Germany is considered to be the fourth in international economics after the USA, China, and Japan, and consumes the largest amount of energy among the other European countries (“What Makes the German Economy so Strong? - Invest Region Leipzig”); however, it has to import more energy resources comparatively. According to BGR, Germany is among the world's most gas importer countries where nearly 95% of its gas consumption is met by imports (Wettengel, 2019). However, the recent gas-shortage crisis in Germany poses some questions worth considering. These questions relate to Russia-Ukraine warfare, Germany's total dependence on imports, climate change approaches, and the goals of Germany in the coming decades. Meanwhile, experts say that Germany will have to reduce gas consumption to 20 percent to meet the crisis (Hill). It is worthwhile to consider that climate activists are spreading a message across, and the 2.65 hours per day reduction in November as compared to the previous year is an indication of the changing behavior of Germans to meet climate change goals by shifting gas consumption habits. Or, it is truly political warfare that pushes Germany toward the crisis and reduction is merely a strategic tactic. The report discusses such questions elaborately.

Statistics 

Before the Russia-Ukraine war, Germany imported 55% of gas from Russia which was severely reduced to 35 (“How Heavily Does Germany Rely on Russian Energy?”), and as of November 2022, the federal network agency reported having imported no gas from Russia (Hill). Due to the gas crisis, the German economy is expected to shrink to 1.2 percent. Contrary to this prediction, IMF prophesizes a 0.8 percent increase in the coming year (Storbeck, 2022).

Germany mainly relies on gas for commercial and industrial business moving. With the scenario provided above, if we investigate how Germans look at climate change issues becomes tricky to reach a conclusion. While depending heavily on fossil fuels, gas, and coal how it is possible to reach a carbon-free environment? There are certain climate activist groups in Germany that are struggling to bring innovative approaches to a sustainable environment.

Who called for the protests for climate protection? 

Who called for protests for climate protection is apparently not clear; however, several organizations have contributed to protests.  Germany is focused on energy transition since the 1980s. The current program named; “Energiewende” is a popular program in Germany and all over the world. The term originated when the German Öko-Institut. published a call for change in energy usage practices. It gave a complete shutdown call for nuclear and petroleum energy. Since then, Germany has been seen on the top list for taking measures to get to renewable energy sources. This might also be the reason Germany is the top coal importer country in Europe; importing one percent of the total global import. Therefore, a call for change; and an existing need created a catastrophe of policies. In such a situation, it was the global protest that started in Sweden which was termed “Friday for Future” consisting of almost 4 million protesters from 125 countries; Germany contributed 1.4 million figures in that protest. This was a landmark in the global climate protection protests by the Germans.

Although, there is a significant number of climate change activist organizations in Germany some of which have been active since the 1980s, and others joined the journey onwards.  For instance, the formation of Greenpeace in 1980, with a mission to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity”, has contributed on a large scale to creating a sense of awareness among the public and outlining recommendations for renewable energy sources. Currently, six organizations are leading in climate change protection advocacy. However, concerning 2022 protest which included some ten thousand people, Ver.di’s deputy chairperson led the protest; also, Greenpeace representatives were present in the joint protest (Reuters, 2022).

Conclusion

Although there is no greater evidence that who arranged this protest; however, some reports say that BUND, Ver.di, Greenpeace, the German Parity Welfare Association, and Citizen Movement for a Transition were the organizations that arranged this protest and made the public come out of the houses and contribute to a greater issue resistance (Reuters, 2022). Some reports also indicate that “Die Linke., which is referred to as “ The Left Party” initiated the protest call on September 01, when the energy prices went for rise (Dispatch, 2022).

Further Reading Guide and References 

Hill, Jenny. “Ukraine War: How Germany Ended Reliance on Russian Gas.” BBC News, 23 Nov. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63709352.

“How Heavily Does Germany Rely on Russian Energy?” The Economist, 4 May 2022, www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/05/04/how-heavily-does-germany-rely-on-russian-energy.

Storbeck, Olf. “German Gas Shortage Risks “Unforeseeable Consequences”, Says Commerzbank.” Financial Times, 3 Aug. 2022, www.ft.com/content/18683e3a-a55f-4c0e-8e50-5539c8a276cd.

Wettengel, Julian. “Germany’s Dependence on Imported Fossil Fuels.” Clean Energy Wire, 30 Apr. 2019, www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-dependence-imported-fossil-fuels.

“What Makes the German Economy so Strong? - Invest Region Leipzig.” Invest Region Leipzig GmbH, 23 Mar. 2022, www.invest-region-leipzig.com/what-makes-the-german-economy-so-strong/.

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