International Media Studies

Vol 1 Published by International Institute for Journalism / InWent & Deutsche Welle April 2010

Dossier: The Climate Challenge Good Ideas from Berlin

Interview with Green Party climate expert Page 2
nEWS
World

Bio-shoes & eco-tortillas: visit to a green shop Page 2

Solar energy as a beauty business Page 3

Test-driving a hydro car in Berlin Page 4

Enough global wind power for Italy

Windpowergrewbyaround30 percentin2009,thehighest ratesince2001.Allwindturbines installedbytheendof2009 worldwidearegenerating340 TWhperannum,equivalenttothe totalelectricitydemandofItaly, equallingtwopercentofglobal electricityconsumption.Moreover, thewindsectorin2009employed 550,000personsworldwide.In theyear2012,thewindindustry isexpectedtooffer1millionjobs forthefirsttime,theWorldWind EnergyAssociation(WWEA)said. Europe

nightmare or paradise?

Clean Copenhagen
Thegreenestandcleanestcitiesin Europeareallinthenorth.WinnerisCopenhagen,followedby StockholmandOslo.Viennaand Amsterdamarenext.TheGerman capitalBerlintakestheeighthplace intherankingoftheEuropean Greencityindex.Measuredwere amongothersCO2emissions,air quality,waterandwaste.

A highway with eight lanes full of polluting cars, framed by a - deforested - hill with a wind park: This Californian scenario offers a glimpse into the future and it is not yet clear where humanity is heading. This dossier explores eco-friendly initiatives and ideas from Berlin to confront the climate challenge

Key facts on climate

Emission explosion:Since 1990emissionsfromfossil fuelsalonehaverisenfrom 21to30billiontonsperyear. Chinahastripleditsoutputto 6billiontons.
Key culprits of CO2 emissions, %
Energy 7.9 13.1 2.8 25.9 Forestry (incl. deforestation) Agriculture 13.5 19.4 17.4 Residential and commercial buildings Waste and wastewater Transport Industry

Man is causing climate change there is no doubt

Institute in Potsdam is a constant warning voice on climate change
By AnA CristinA Wegelin
n the surroundings of Berlin, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), one of the most acknowledged climate research centers in the world, is a reference on alerting society about the consequences of global warming. We visited the centre. The calm voice of Prof. Dr. Anders Levermann contrasts the serious messages hes been bringing across for the past years. The 37-year-old specialist in climate dynamics at PIK is very precise when explaining about the possible disastrous consequences of global warming such as the melting of the ice glaciers that cover the soil in Greenland and Antarctic. For Levermann it is very clear, and no battering about scientific conduct has afflicted the message: Human action is the cause of global warming. And yes, there is scientific proof of an increase of average global temperature of 0.8 degree Celsius since the pre-industrial period.

Warmest decade:Thelast decadestartingin2010was thewarmestin150years. 2009wasthefifthwarmest yeareveronrecord. Fatal consequences: Only 1oCwarming-upleadsto 30%morehurricanes.Africas rain-fedagriculturecouldbe reducedbyasmuchas50% byatemperaturerise. Impact on people: 20millionpeopleweredisplaced byclimaterelateddisastersin 2008.By2050thiscouldrise to200millionpeople. Ocean rise: Oceanlevels currentlyrise3mmperyear. 1961to1993theyroseatan averagerateof1.8mmper year.
Sources:UNFCCC,PIK,UN,IPCCReport 2007,WorldMeteorologicalOrganization

Levermann is one of 270 employees at PIK who have become a distinguished source for decisionmaking all over the world. PIK was founded in 1992 and is financed by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal State of Brandenburg. Prof. Levermann elaborated mainly on three findings: The warning: The limit of 2oC Climate experts emphasize the importance of reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and other harmful gases - by at least fifty per cent by 2050. Thats a number that is easy to remember, 50 per cent by 2050, he says, but it also means that we have only a fifty per cent chance to stay below two degrees of warming-up. Europe has to reduce its emissions by even 80 and the United States by 90 per cent. But what exactly does the 2oClimit mean? If the increase in global temperature happens to go beyond this limit, achieving 4oC for instance, systems such as the thermohaline circulation in Atlantic Ocean
Green visionary: Prof. Anders levermann of the Potsdam institute

pensive than other estimates say. The studies point to improving energy efficiency and boosting the use of renewable energy sources, such as energy efficient buildings, to stimulate the use of biomass. and to capture and store industrial emissions of carbon dioxide, for instance in underground geological formations and in the deep oceans. The worry: If nobody listens

or the monsoon system, which are important players in climatic conditions in Europe and Asia respectively, may collapse, and both local society and ecosystems may be damaged in a way that can not be predicted, the PIK states. The hope: Climate protection less expensive? Providing some light at the end of the tunnel is also a concern of PIK. A group of scientists is constantly evaluating sustainable solutions. They recently published that the cost of achieving and maintaining the 2oC limit can stay under 2.5 percent of the gross world product until 2100, thereby being less ex-

Foto:PIK

When questioned about his biggest worry, Prof. Levermann expresses what he calls his personal belief: Society cannot adapt to a 4oC or 5oC warmer world. We dont know where the break is occurring, but if you have a severe climate catastrophe, and that might be a drought, a flooding, a heat wave, the planet will collapse. The extreme scenario is: An increase of only 3oC leads to loss of the ice sheet in Greenland causing long-term rise of the sea level by seven meters: Calcutta, Shanghai, Florida and other coastal regions in the world sink. .www.pik-potsdam.de

Foto:flickr

April 2010

Dossier: The Climate Challenge Good Ideas from Berlin

3
W O RlD nE W S
France

Solar energy gone pretty

Sulfurcell betting on sophisticated technology One of 800 companies at Adlershof research center heading towards a green future
By nAtAliA KArBAsOvA

new kind of power walk

Toulouseofficialsrecentlyannouncedthattheyllbeinstalling power-generatingtilesinthesidewalksinthecitycenter.Fortwo weeks,thetestrunshallcreate electricityforstreetlightsthrough thestampingfeetofpassers-by. Themoveisoneofthelatestinattemptsbymunicipalitiesandcompaniestoturnthebasicelements ofdailylifeintoenergy-generating activities,fromrevolvingdoorsto workoutequipment. /GreenBiz.com/ Middle East

he thinner, the better. This goes not only for models. The Berlinbased company Sulfurcell produces thin-film solar modules and wants this technology to rule the world. Despite the aftermath of the global economic crisis, solar energy production sector in Germany seems to be booming. Thus, Sulfurcell Solartechnik GmbH, one of the leading companies in the German solar energy production market, invested 85 million euros into a new thin-film production line in the Adlershof scientific and technological park in Berlin in October 2010. Technology is called thin-film because layers of a solar cell are extremely thin. Each layer is about half a micron which is about 100 times thinner than a human hair. The end product is 6 mm thick. That means that these solar batteries can be used instead of tiles in building construction and create an aesthetic effect. The line is still at the pilot stage, with the capacity of 2,5 megawatt . In July the capacity of the factory which occupies 1 600 square meters will be increased to 18 megawatt . Later on, the production capacity will rise to 75 megawatt . This energy would be enough to supply 10 000 households with power. When you get into the production facility, the first thing you look for is people. You expect the place to be teeming with staff but in fact there are only twenty operators per shift, with the production being fully automated. Four shifts

Feature 4: 3.430 Zeichen

Foto:ProgressEnergy

says this has to be faced as a reality rather than a utopia: The fossil sources of energy will eventually run out. Its the question of survival, if not for us, then for the next generation. Despite the rapid market growth, renewable sources of energy are still quite expensive. But it is the question of only several years until they will be able to compete with traditional energy sources. We expect renewable energies to become competitive between 2012 and 2015, at least for photovoltaic technologies. Thin-film technology can be 30 40% cheaper than traditional solar technology in the long run, says Neisse. After Japan, Germany is the second largest market for photovoltaics in the world and the

Transparent waters
PeopleintheArabworldneed fullerandfreerinformationabout shrinkingwatersuppliesbuttheir governmentsarewithholdingit forfearoffuellingunrest,aUnited Nationsexpertsaid.Peopleinthe MiddleEastandNorthAfricahave accesstoananaverageofjust 1,000cubicmetresofwaterayear, seventimeslowerthantheworldwiderate,accordingtotheU.N. DevelopmentProgramme(UNDP)s ArabHumanDevelopmentReport. Asclimatechangetakesitstolland theregionspopulationsgrowat nearlytwicetheglobalaverage, thatfigureisprojectedtoshrinkto just460cubicmetresby2025. /TimesofIndia/

In the future, thin-film solar panels might become one of the basic sources of energy for industrial buildings and households

About Sulfurcell
Sulfurcellwasfoundedin 2003asaspin-offofHahnMeier-InstitutBerlin.Today,the companyemploys220people. Itsrevenuesin2008accounted forfourmillioneuros.Among theshareholdersareIntelCapital,ClimateChangeCapital, Vattenfall,GazdeFrance. most dynamic market in Europe. According to the European Commission report of 2009, there are more than 80 companies involved in production of thin-layer technology in Germany. .www.sulfurcell.de .www.solarwirtschaft.de

make sure the line works around tion with solar energy only, it has to the clock. The task of the operators be a mix of different sorts of eneris to observe and check that evegies, says Axel Neisse, the head of rything runs smoothly. Their work Research and Development Departis accompanied by a steady buzz ment of Sulfurcell. He is sure thincoming from the equipment. film technology is more promising Today, only one per cent of the than conventional solar technoloenergy generated in Germany is gies. The cost reduction potential produced by solar, or photovoltaic of thin-film technologies is bigger. panels. With solar energy market Their market share is growing degrowing at the spite the criSources of energy in Germany pace of fifteensis, says the not green yet: Sources of energy in Germany twenty per specialist. 9% Fossil fuels cent, the situaIt is pre5% Atomic power tion is likely to 4% dicted that by Water change in the 2075 all the Wind Other (incl. solar) nearest future. energy in the 56% Of course you 26% world will be cant power renewable. Source:Germanelectricityassociation(VDEW) the entire naAxel Neisse

South Africa

Kicking for the environment

TheFootballAssociationofEnglandwillpayoutaround5,000 tooffsetthecarbonfootprintof flying48footballersandofficials fromLondontoJohannesburgin JunetotheSouthAfricaWorld Cup.Thiswillbeapartofanew UnitedNationsschemetocutthe environmentalimpactofmajor sportingevents.Themoneywillgo towardssolarpanelsforpoorpeopleinAfricasothattheycutdown fewertreesforfirewood. TheWorldCupinSouthAfricain 2010willproduceninetimesas muchcarbondioxideasthelast oneinGermany,mostlybecause ofhundredsofthousandsoffans flyinginfromaroundtheworld. /DailyTelegraph/ Vietnam

By mArynA grytsAi

he once-divided German capital might be on its way to becoming the capital of Green. More than five per cent of the countrys green economy market is based in Berlin. Five hundred companies are focusing on environmental technologies and services. Even the often conservative Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) of Berlin, is turning its attention to the green economy.

Eco-capital Berlin?
Chamber of commerce turning a green leaf
The IHK promotes environmental companies by intensifying dialogue and cooperation among them despite their competitive edge. Dialogue has helped to activate the entire sector, says Henrik Vagt, director of the department of innovation and environment of the IHK. In the last four years the environmental sector of Berlins economy showed an astounding growth rate of twenty per cent whereas the overall economic growth rate of Germany stands at only 0,8 percent. Greening the Berlin economy are especially industry heavyweights which have already won worldwide recognition, among them Solon, one of the largest solar module manufacturers in Europe. More than half of its revenue of over 800 million euros annually is generated outside Germany. Still, Vagt believes that Berlins potential as a city of green economy has not yet been fully realized and has therefore made ecological activities an important part of the IHK mandate. The chamber organizes conferences, competitions, forums, projects, for instance, the reputed Dialogforum Green Economy, a public forum to exchange ideas which takes place several times a year in Berlin Adlershof, in itself one of the largest green technology parks in Germany. According to Mr Vagt the chambers environmental activities are twofold: First, promoting the industrys pioneers which develop, implement and produce climate-friendly technologies and provide services. Secondly, to

Foto:flickr.com

also help others to become greener, as he emphasized. An annual prize award KlimaSchutzPartner des Jahres (Climate partner of the year) is given to those employing advanced technology at the workplace. In 2009 among the winners were: ? Energiewohnen, a company specialized on climate-friendly restauration of old buildings, reduced the energy consumption of an apartment building by seventy per cent by implementing energy saving technologies ? Knorr Bremse, the worlds leading manufacturer of cle braking systems, installed an air device in its 17 500 m2 production hall reducing annual CO2 emissions by 103 tons Environment critics say all this is not enough. Berlin has a huge problem of dilapidation, it is dirtier than New York, criticized no other than the former president of the Industrialists association (BDI), Hans-Olaf Henkel, who lives in the center of the capital. Henrik Vagt says that Berlin companies are not only motivated to implement green technologies because they are obliged to by law. For him and them its also a matter of image: Otherwise they will lose reputation and customers, stresses Vagt. .www.green-economy.de .www.berlin.ihk24.de

Saving Vietnams coasts with shrimps

TheMekongDeltainVietnamis threatenedbyrisingsealevels. Mangroveforestsoffersomeprotectionbuttheyrebeingcleared forlargeshrimpfarms.Organic shrimpsandtree-plantingcouldbe awayoutofthedilemma. Insomeareas,themangrove saplingsarenothingmorethana fewbrittlestalksfacingthemighty ocean.Buttheysymbolizehope thatperhapsthingswontbecome sobadandinafewyearspeoplewillstillbeabletoliveinthe MekongDeltaevenwhenthesea watersrise. Withitsvastnetworkofchannels, theMekongDeltaisoneofVietnamsmostfertileregions.Itsalso oneofthemostdenselypopulated areasoftheworld. /DeutscheWelle/

Green activities in Berlin: Bicycle rallye starting at the Brandenburg gate