Environment & Sustainability

According to an ambitious initiative launched by some of Europe's largest companies, the Sahara will become a power hub to provide renewable energy to Europe by the mid of the century. This project should become a cornerstone of a new European Community for renewable energies. By Ralf Fücks, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung

The controversy about the use of nuclear power continues. In connection with the debate about climate change and what can be done about it, the nuclear industry and political forces that support it have undertaken efforts to present the use of nuclear power as a means of combatting climate change. The Heinrich Boell Foundation has published a paper “Nuclear Power – Myth and Reality” as early as February 2006, which argues against this notion. The heated debate has recently become more evident also in Israel. In the Israeli newspaper Haaretz from August 7, 2009, Gal Luft demanded a serious debate on the use of nuclear energy in Israel, while practically proposing its use. Joern Boehme, the director of the Israel office answered the claims made by Gal Luft concerning the debate in Germany in a letter to the editor, published in Haaretz on August 18, 2009. Read the op-ed by Gal Luft followed by the response letter by Joern Boehme»

The Heinrich Boell Stiftung has defined the issue of climate change and sustainable development as being central to its work internationally, both in the areas of mitigation and adaptation. It advocates and advances an agenda for development rights for developing nations and contributes to seeking solutions in many international forums while at the same time, adapts its work to the specific context of each of its 28 offices around the world.