Less emissions Merkel urges aviation to innovate

Status: 06/18/2021 8:35 p.m.

“As soon as possible”: Chancellor Merkel called for speed in innovations at the National Aviation Conference. Air traffic must quickly become lower in emissions. The industry is hoping for the summer business. The aviation industry and politics want to promote “green” flying in Germany with state funding. After the pandemic, all economic policy measures would have to be aligned with climate targets, said Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) at the National Aviation Conference in Berlin. “As for other industries, climate neutrality is a very ambitious goal for aviation,” said Merkel. To achieve this, there must be innovations, for example in drive systems and infrastructure – “and not at some point, but as quickly as possible”. Because the product cycles in aviation are very long.

Emission-free flying

In addition to the restart of the industry, which was badly shaken by the corona crisis, the focus of the industry summit at the capital airport BER was above all the path of aviation to emission-free flying. The airlines are focusing on the development of sustainable fuels as well as new, more economical aircraft and even electric aircraft. Representatives of the industry associations BDL, BDLI as well as the industry giants Airbus and Lufthansa repeated that this was a joint task of business and politics – and that is why public funds were necessary to kick-start innovations. The federal government is already investing billions in funding into the development of emission-free kerosene and clean aircraft technology. “At the moment, prices and quantities leave a lot to be desired,” said Merkel, referring to lower-emission fuels. Here you have to come to competitive terms. With extensive funding, alternative fuels based on electricity could also be ramped up on the market. Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr said that synthetic alternatives to kerosene are around five times more expensive than fossil fuel today, and that PtL kerosene costs ten times as much. “No airline can afford that.”

No competitive disadvantage

With regard to the new climate regulations for European aviation expected by the EU in July, the Federal Government believes that stricter climate protection rules do not result in a competitive disadvantage compared to airlines abroad with lower standards. Merkel warned that there should be no distortions in the competitive struggle and no double burdens.

Aviation in Europe has been participating in CO2 emissions trading (ETS) since 2012, and the Corsia CO2 compensation system is to be introduced on a global level. “ETS plus Corsia does not work,” said Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU). Corsia is the right instrument. The EU Commission considers this to be the weaker system.

Lufthansa wants to repay corona aid

Lufthansa was in dire straits due to the collapse of passenger flights in the Corona crisis and had to be supported by Germany and the countries of its subsidiary airlines with a financial framework of nine billion euros. Germany accounted for a total of 6.8 billion euros of the state rescue package for Lufthansa. The company has now announced that it intends to repay the state funds soon. “We were one of the first companies that was saved by the federal government. We also want to be one of the first companies to pay back the rescue funds – hopefully before the general election,” said CEO Spohr. The federal government, which in addition to loans and silent participation became Lufthansa’s largest shareholder with the rescue operation, wanted the state to withdraw “as soon as possible,” said Scheuer. With the help, the airline must get back on the road to success as quickly as possible. “And the state has to get out of there,” emphasized the minister.

Industry hopes for summer business

After the dry spell in the Corona crisis, aviation is relying on a recovery in summer business. According to the Federal Government’s Aviation Commissioner, new virus mutations could slow down the long-awaited restart. “At the moment there is great optimism and bookings are going through the roof,” said aerospace coordinator Thomas Jarzombek of the Reuters news agency. But everything depends on the infection situation. “Of course, there is now the delta variant as an uncertain component.” You can see in the UK that this delayed openings after the lockdown

After interim analysis CureVac defends its vaccine

Status: 06/18/2021 10:19 a.m.

Although an interim analysis of the CureVac vaccine only showed an effectiveness of 47 percent, company boss Haas does not want to know anything about a failure. He is hoping for further tests so that the vaccine will be ready for the market after all. The negative news for the Tübingen company CureVac continues. At first, the company lagged behind the competition in developing its corona vaccine. Then the company went late to the crucial phase 3 to test its vaccine – at that time there were already several variants of the coronavirus. The next bad news followed yesterday: CureVac announced in a mandatory stock market announcement that, according to an interim analysis, its corona vaccine had a preliminary effectiveness of 47 percent against Covid 19 disease “of any severity” have. The value is significantly higher for the other preparations approved in the EU.

“Wild type hardly plays a role anymore”

Company boss Franz-Werner Haas has now gone on the offensive. He defended the company’s corona vaccine against the dpa news agency. No other vaccine has been tested on so many virus variants, he said.

“In fact, it is actually not correct to compare the number of the provisional effectiveness of our corona vaccine and the numbers of the effectiveness of other vaccines”said Haas. The study on the corona vaccine candidate CVnCov contained 29 virus variants. The original virus, the wild type, hardly plays a role anymore. “The efficacy figures for the other vaccines would probably look different if their studies had been carried out at a later date.”

Degree in three weeks

The Tübingen-based company would like to complete the analysis of the data from the final study phase in the next two to three weeks. Haas was convinced that the effectiveness of the vaccine would change again. As soon as this has been completed, CureVac will advise the EMA as to whether further data is required.

The company remains convinced that it will bring its vaccine to approval. According to Haas, even a possibly relatively low effectiveness should not stand in the way. “In view of the pandemic, it can only be said: If there is an effective vaccine, it should also be used.” Haas also referred to the numerous developing countries in which little or no corona vaccines are currently available. The scientific director of the vaccine study at CureVac, Peter Kremsner, believes that it will certainly be possible to make the vaccine operational. In an interview with the BR he said: “That will work for sure. From my point of view, this will not be possible in the next few weeks. But it will be possible to prepare the vaccine so that it can be very effective.”

“It was a noble cause”

The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach estimates that the setback when entering the market will contribute to the vaccination campaign losing pace for two to three weeks. The promise of the federal government to make a vaccination offer to all adults by the end of the summer is not at risk. “We will reach herd immunity in mid-September”said Lauterbach in the daily topics .

Lauterbach pointed out that the CureVac serum is the “noble” I wanted to be a cheap and very effective vaccine. It would have been predestined for poorer countries. The EU had promised 400 million doses of CureVac to poorer countries. Lauterbach assessed it as a tragedy that this delivery has now been canceled.

No withdrawal of the investor

The announcement of the preliminary effectiveness had caused a drastic plunge in the stock exchange price of CureVac. Investor Dietmar Hopp still believes in the company. He will definitely stay as an investor, he said “Munich Mercury”. He is a firm believer in the company.

The federal government is also holding on to its stake in CureVac, as the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Last year, he entered CureVac through the KfW development bank with 300 million euros and, according to KfW, holds a share of 16 percent. The federal government has no influence on the operational business, explained the ministry spokeswoman

Protection of the world’s oceans Hope for the “Blue Economy”

As of: 06/08/2021 12:59 p.m.

The seas are at risk from climate change, pollution and overfishing. But gradually a rethink is also beginning in the economy – the protection of the oceans is recognized as a business. From Notker Blechner, tagesschau.de Sometimes an accident can lead to a complete change in life. For example with Emily Penn. The architect and passionate sailor had her aha experience on a boat trip from Great Britain to Australia. “One night all the passengers woke up to a loud bang,” she says. “Our ship had rammed a plastic mountain – in the middle of the ocean, away from any civilization.” Since then, Penn has been committed to protecting the oceans, giving lectures, organizing events and doing research expeditions to find solutions to the fight against the plastic flood in the oceans. Penn is known as the “advocate for the seas”.

Shoes, sunglasses and backpacks made from ocean trash

The marine activist is encouraged by increasing business initiatives against plastic waste pollution in the oceans. Several companies and start-ups have developed methods of making new products from marine litter. Adidas offers shoes and jerseys made from recycled “ocean plastic”. Other manufacturers are making new sunglasses, backpacks and skateboards out of marine plastic waste. Even the Dutchman Boyen Slat, founder of the start-up “Ocean Cleanup”, now sells sunglasses with frames made from recycled ocean plastic. “Ocean Cleanup” collects plastic waste on the open sea with ships. The Italian Giulio Bonazzi has managed to make a special fiber – Econyl – from old fishing nets, which is used for tights and bikinis. Bonazzi calculates that every ton of Econyl saves six tons of carbon dioxide.

Marketing gimmick?

Environmentalists warn against being misled. Products made from ocean plastic are often a marketing gimmick and misleading. In some of them there is hardly any plastic waste from the oceans, according to the WWF. Nevertheless: The fight against the mountains of plastic has now begun in business and politics. The G20 states have announced that they will ban plastic waste from the world’s oceans by 2050. It is currently estimated that around 13 million tons of plastic waste end up in the oceans every year.

14 coastal countries are leading the way in marine protection

The pictures of polluted beaches after tankers leaked like now back in Sri Lanka show how important global marine protection is. A total of 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Norway, have come together in a kind of “Ocean Panel” and have committed to sustainably managing their national waters in the future. “For too long we have made the wrong choice between marine protection and production,” admits Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, co-head of the Ocean Panel.

Danger to the species: A sea turtle that has become entangled in a drifting net. Image: picture alliance / AP Photo According to a study that was published in the journal “Nature” at the end of March, hundreds of millions of CO2 could be saved through marine protection. So far, not even three percent of the world’s oceans have been strictly protected. The study’s authors see the greatest potential in restricting bottom trawling. This controversial fishing method involves ships pulling a net across the ocean floor. The living beings on the ground are destroyed, plants are uprooted and spawning grounds for fish are destroyed. In addition, the agitation of the seabed releases organic carbon compounds and converts them into climate-damaging CO2.

Great potential for CO2 savings

The Ocean Panel has proposed several measures to promote marine and climate protection: In addition to carbon storage in the seabed, the panel recommends sustainable fishing and aquaculture, the expansion of offshore energy in the sea and ocean-compatible transport. According to calculations, this could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by a fifth, trigger investments of over 15 trillion dollars and create 12 million new jobs. Indeed, there is a gradual rethinking of the maritime economy. The International Maritime Organization has mandated stricter sulfur emissions values ​​in 2020. Instead of using heavy fuel oil, the ships now have to run on marine diesel. The only exception: ships with so-called scrubber exhaust gas cleaning systems are still allowed to use heavy fuel oil. Over 350 container and cruise ships as well as tankers have switched to liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG contains no sulfur, hardly any nitrogen oxides and 20 percent less CO2. However, the greenhouse gas methane allegedly escapes. “The liquefied natural gas turns out to be a harmful wrong path,” says Nabu in the meantime. Shore power systems have been put into operation in Rostock-Warnemünde and Hamburg so that cruise ships do not need the ship’s diesel for power supply while they are in port.

“Blue Economy” becomes a billion dollar business

Investors such as the DWS fund company from Deutsche Bank have long been interested in the “blue economy”. According to the WWF, the ocean’s annual “gross sea product” is $ 2.5 trillion. This would make the “blue economy” the eighth largest economy in the world. DWS fund manager Paul Buchwitz predicts that the “blue economy” will grow twice as fast as the established economy by 2030. The “blue economy” includes companies that help to reduce marine pollution and curb ocean acidification – as well as those that deal with the sustainable use of marine resources, ecosystems and sustainable fisheries.