Journalists See German & Danish Climate Policy in Action
Seven US journalists visited Berlin and southern Denmark in early September. The six-day tour was jointly offered by the foreign ministries of Germany and Denmark and served to inform the journalists about national and international climate and environmental policy, particularly with a view to the climate conference taking place in Copenhagen in December. The program consisted mainly of meetings with policy makers, scientists, journalists, and business representatives.
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- Berlin was the first stop on the trip offered by the foreign ministries of Germany and Denmark.
- (© Ben Block)
On the evening of their arrival, the participants met for dinner with a representative of the nonprofit organization the Nature Conservancy, which is also active in the US, before participating the next day in a podium discussion with environmental and economic experts at the Foreign Office. A subsequent ride on a solar-powered ship along the Spree River and a tour through the German Reichstag parliament building were highlights of the day. The entire government quarter is modeled on architect Sir Norman Forster’s dictum that “Solar energy is not about fashion, it is about survival.” The first full day concluded with a working dinner with Professor Stefan Rahmstorf from the renowned Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The next day, the participants were driven in various hydrogen-powered vehicles to gain an impression of the technologies used. They met with representatives of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and visited a combined heat-power plant of the Vattenfall Company as well as the Renewables Academy, an organization that offers know-how on planning, production, and engineering of renewable energy technologies. On the last day, while driving to Rostock, where the ferries depart for Copenhagen, the group stopped off at the Guestrow Nature Preserve and Park. The journalists got out seven kilometers before the park and traveled the rest of the way by bicycle, which they all enjoyed.
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- This wind farm was one of the destinations in Denmark.
- (© Ben Block)
The stay in southern Denmark kicked off with a visit to the Rødsand Wind Farm, which is one of Europe’s largest. Afterwards, the group visited Stenløse, a village with especially low carbon emissions. There, the visitors also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Rockwool, a Danish corporation which manufactures steel-wool dam systems. The journalists also visited the Danish NGO Danish Cyclists Federation in Copenhagen, which aims to promote the bicycle as a general means of transportation.
The next day, the group met with a representative of the Ministry for Climate and Energy before visiting the Hashøj Biogas Plant, which daily produces 25,000 cubic meters of biogas. In the afternoon, the group had the chance to tour Inbicon, a company that produces energy from agricultural residual products. The tour concluded with a dinner at Dragsholm Slot Castle.
The visitors were very pleased with the tour and the impressions and experiences gained.
