Energy Transition

In "Germany’s Appalachia," the last coal mine is closing. Can renewable energy and technology replace a quietly disappearing industry?

Flooded streets, drifting cars: That’s normalcy for the citizens of Norfolk. The city wants to better protect its residents. But they don't always cooperate.

This two part series analyzes electric mobility in Washington, DC and Detroit.

How is Washington, DC embracing modern mobility and cleaner air? Part of a two part series assessing electric mobility in the US & Germany. 

After a summer spent learning about climate change in Germany and the US, Climate & Energy Intern Gavriela Reiter found that while both countries must confront the question of a phase-out of coal, they are having very different conversations.

We toured the US Appalachia region with energy expert Timon Wehnert to visit communities in Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania and see how they are transitioning from a coal-based economy. 

A discussion in Whitesburg, Kentucky featured a talk by Timon Wehnert of the Wuppertal Institute as part of a tour of US coal communities sponsored by the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America.

With states, cities, and citizens willing to double down and move ahead with climate commitments, the global community can still count on many Americans’ willingness to act responsibly in support of global climate actions, even if their White House is not. Unfortunately, such activism will not make up for the failure of the Trump administration to make good on its international climate finance obligation.

How some former coal regions have transformed themselves in preparation for life after coal.

As policymakers in Ohio and elsewhere look to modernize their aging electric grid, concepts in Germany’s changing energy system suggest how today’s decisions can set the stage for a greater share of renewables and more energy security.