UfU Information | Issue 7 – December 2022 | Management
Foreword by the management
Dear UfU members, dear friends, dear interested parties,
It’s done! The year 2022 is drawing to a close and UfU is going into its winter break. A grueling year lies behind us, and we don’t need to list the numerous crises again. Nevertheless, it is worth reviewing the year from UfU’s perspective. This is because some issues that UfU has been working on for years, in some cases decades, have not become highly relevant this year.
UfU’s energy-saving topics are more topical than ever due to the energy crisis. We have received numerous inquiries this year about our project “Saving energy in schools” and even Die Zeit has reported on it. We are still convinced that there is still great untapped potential for energy sufficiency in Germany. This applies not only to schools and public buildings, but also to other areas of public and private life. Responsible and economical use of energy is not only necessary from the perspective of the energy crisis, but for us it is also part of the sustainable use of resources. In this issue, we therefore report on the right room temperature and heating myths.
The work of the Environmental Law & Participation department has also taken on new relevance this year. The energy crisis shows how dependent we are on fossil fuels and, as a result, there are calls for planning to be accelerated in Germany.
It is clear that the expansion of renewable energies in Germany in particular must proceed quickly and efficiently. However, we warn against sacrificing environmental protection and opportunities for participation in order to speed up planning. Instead, the positive benefits of renewable energies for other sectors must be communicated more strongly and smart legislation must be put in place to strengthen the expansion. Our COBENEFITS project makes this clear.
The current crises painfully highlight the failures and associated costs of recent years. The defensive shield for electricity and gas price brakes amounts to 200 billion euros – to maintain the status quo. We should use this crisis as a blueprint and learn our lessons from it with regard to the climate crisis. Otherwise, the future costs could exceed the current costs many times over.
Last but not least, we would like to thank our members and donors for their support this year. Especially in the current times, we are dependent on donations and membership fees to be able to carry out our work successfully. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a relaxing New Year!
Yours
Florian Kliche & Dr. Michael Zschiesche
UfU Managing Director
