“God again!” Fear for the economy?

Ex-CDU minister talks himself into rage at Plasberg

Created: 08/30/2022, 12:10 p.m

Werner Marnette guest at "Hart aber fair" © WDR/Drik Borm

"Drought of the century - are we experiencing our future right now?" The group at "Hard but fair" is unanimous: climate change is dramatic.

But what to do?

Berlin – For once, it's not about the Ukraine war - and the topic of "Hard but fair" still has it all: "Drought of the century - are we experiencing our future right now?" asks Frank Plasberg and leaves pictures of the Po record in Italy, the Rhine and the French Loire.

All rivers almost dried up.

"We call it the drought of the century!

Does that happen every 100 years?” he wants to know from Sven Plöger.

No, says the ARD weatherman.

That happens more often.

The extreme rainfall in summer 2021, for example, did not fit into the weather models.

Plöger warns of droughts that could possibly last ten years.

"We need land rain," says the meteorologist.

Except in the Alps.

Because there is flooding there at the moment.

Plöger qualifies: "Of course, it's not always all about climate change.

There are also weather conditions that are simply weather conditions.” Plasberg is unsure for a moment.

"And that now?" Plöger: "Of course that's climate change."

"Hard but fair": These guests discussed with Frank Plasberg:

• Sven Plöger

  (ARD meteorologist)

• Carla Reemtsma

  (speaker Fridays for Future)

• Werner Marnette

  (management consultant, ex-minister in Schleswig-Holstein, entrepreneur)

• Mona Neubaur

  (North Rhine-Westphalia Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate, The Greens)

Plasberg brings climate activist Carla Reemtsma on board.

"If people freeze because they can no longer afford the gas, are those extenuating circumstances for you?" The industrialist's daughter waves it away: "Definitely not." which we have to react to.” The frequent flyer sees society “miles away” from solving the problem.

She has experienced climate change traveling all around the globe.

And the "gas surcharge" is "a redistribution to fossil climate killer corporations".

Green politician Mona Neubaur finds it "important that we relieve the burden precisely, because social peace is important".

You have to “start on the other track in an express train and expand renewable energies, because there is only one future, also for our economy, if we produce climate-neutrally”.

Craftsmen and women vehemently demanded finally access to renewable energies and green hydrogen, complains Neubaur.

Weatherman Plöger: "We have to stop trying to make the world beautiful"

CDU man Werner Marnette sees major omissions worldwide.

"It's a global issue," agrees Plöger: "We have to stop trying to make the world look pretty." Marnette criticizes Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).

Germany would have to pay Russia money for gas until 2030, which it does not buy and which it also buys elsewhere at overpriced prices.

"Mr. Habeck travels the world and cheerfully explains that we buy natural gas at top prices," says Marnette.

"There is absolutely no logic in it." Security of supply, competitiveness and climate protection must be treated equally.

Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder only "fiddled around a bit" because of security of supply.

But security of supply and low prices are not everything.

Marnette blames his own party, the CDU, for the omissions.

"We should all go in sackcloth and ashes."

Plasberg has more pictures imported: forest fires in Saxony and in Grunewald, where the police accidentally set fire to Berlin's green lungs with fireworks.

Plasberg makes it clear: The "event of the century" of burning forests already happened in 1992.

So not a once-in-a-century event.

And fire expert Alexander Held reveals in an interview with a wink what the three main causes of forest fires are: "Men, women and children".

People have to be more careful.

Marnette: "We rely on sun and wind, but both are only available to a very limited extent"

"What is being done here is doctoring at the wrong end," criticizes Marnette.

“We rely on sun and wind, but both are only available to a very limited extent.

We always need large amounts of backup energy or storage.” Nuclear energy has saved up to 160 million tons of CO2 per year, and this has to be dealt with without ideology.

Reemtsma counters that Germany's industry and all households can be operated entirely with renewable energies.

There are studies on this.

Plasberg wants to know when the time will come.

"2035," says Reemtsma.

And what do you do in the 13 years until then, nuclear energy?

"The return to a high-risk technology - that's just absurd," says Reemtsma.

Plöger takes the same line: nuclear fission is extremely dangerous.

And in France, the rivers are currently much too warm to cool the nuclear reactors.

"I'm just tired of it," says Neubaur.

One should not "babble as if nuclear power were the solution".

Plasberg is merciful: "We just don't have much wind this summer"

Marnette recalls the skyrocketing electricity prices.

Wind energy is not an alternative for the base load.

But Plasberg counters: "We just don't have much wind this summer." Marnette doesn't give up: "We are facing a huge economic crisis in Germany.

I wonder how you plan to take responsibility for that,” he says.

“We are endangering our economy and our citizens with this price explosion.

We can't just ignore that." He's getting angrier: "We have to ramp up coal, we have to ramp up nuclear power.

God dammit!

We are facing a loss of millions of jobs.”

The viewer comments show how controversial the topic is in the living room.

"As long as China builds coal-fired power plants, the climate cannot be saved by Germany alone," writes one viewer.

Another complained: "Insufferable.

The billionaire girl Reemtsma appears mega brazen, doesn't let others finish speaking and unthinkingly babbles on everything that fits into the ideological, green-socialist concept but fair' today not particularly fair put together.

Oh well."

Conclusion of the "hard but fair" talk

The choice of guests was a bit unfortunate on this show.

If all guests agree, a well-founded discussion is hardly possible.

Frank Plasberg noticed that after a few minutes and apologized for the poor structure.

The next programs on the subject should therefore be particularly exciting.