The rivers are dry. The Po in Italy is just a little brook, on the Rhine ships are only allowed to sail slowly, on the Loire there is no more sailing. “The drought of the century: Are we currently experiencing our future?”, the Monday talk “Hard but fair” puts up for discussion. One thing is clear: it’s all incredibly depressing.
“When will it rain properly again?” one asks oneself instead of intoning Rudi Carrell’s 1975 Summer Lament. And Sven Plöger, ARD meteorologist, goes straight to the top: “We have to stop talking the world nice.” We are currently experiencing many climate signals: “That’s a very clear sign of climate change.”
Naturally, Mona Neubauer, the Green Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia, sees it that way too. She is pragmatic. In the crisis, you also have to take the step of starting up coal-fired power plants again. And nuclear power? “Now we’re talking about nuclear power as if it were a viable solution,” she complains. “I’m tired of people blustering about expanding nuclear power.” She is in favor of massively increasing photovoltaics on roofs.
Werner Marnette was a minister in Schleswig-Holstein and an industrial manager. The CDU man admits: “I definitely see a failure in politics.” Above all, he sees a failure by the Green Economics Minister. “Mr. Habeck buys gas worldwide at top prices,” complains the former CEO of an energy company. And: “We are taking the natural gas away from other countries that also urgently need it.”
Marnette also sees wrong priorities in the expansion of renewable energies. “This is doctoring at the wrong end. We only rely on sun and wind.” He brings nuclear energy into play. It would avoid emissions. Climate activist Carla Reemtsma immediately gets upset: “That’s just absurd!” The ex-minister wants to invite her to Hamburg to explain a few numbers to her. He extends his hand to secure the invitation. Reemtsma refuses to shake hands.
The activist from “Fridays for Future” is “Hard but fair” to forest fires, drought, floods – in other words, all the consequences of climate change: “As a society, we are not able to react to it.” Above all, she blames it of politics: “Politics are failing right now, the government is irresponsible.” In her opinion, the expiry of the 9-euro ticket is the best example of this.
NRW Minister Mona Neubauer defends her colleagues in Berlin: “You cannot accuse the Ministry of Economics of not working ambitiously.” Ms. Reemtsma sees it very differently: “How can the Greens be responsible for still being in this government?”
It gets a little cheerful after all when Rolf Schmiel is questioned. The psychologist is a kind of Dr. Hirschhausen. You can tell that he has TV experience and can formulate pointedly. Citizens should save water – i.e. more washcloths than showers. So far so good. But at the same time, the Germans have acquired more pools than ever before this year. It was hot too. What does the psychologist and management consultant have to say about this: “If politicians are insane, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the citizens act insane.”
And then it gets a little more serious. Especially in general crises, people look to themselves. That is egoism. In the bad Corona times, people held back and thought critically about long flights and cruises. And now? Traveling like there’s no tomorrow. Schmiel describes this with the “now more than ever feeling”: driving a car is bad? “Then some say to themselves: Now buy me a sports car!” Man only learns through pain. “But nobody wants to hear that.” If you were constantly bothered by problems, “at some point indifference sets in”. Then the psychologist praises the passion with which climate activist Reemtsma presents her mission. He doesn’t understand at all that this isn’t better received. Carla Reemtsma laughs happily. You didn’t usually see a lot of joy on this Monday evening in the TV talk.
The Duisburg Zoo has filed criminal charges against four activists for “trespassing and animal cruelty”. They jumped into the pool with the dolphins in wetsuits on Sunday during a performance at the dolphinarium.
In the dispute over compensation for the 1972 Olympics attack, negotiations between the German government and relatives of the Israeli victims are apparently heading towards an agreement. There is an offer to pay the bereaved about 28 million euros.
