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Germany is seen as something of a pioneer,
. . . in the fight against climate change.

But Germany's emissions haven't fallen much,
. . . because coal is so cheap, and
. . . emits more carbon than anything else,
. . . in the country's energy mix.

But, with tens of thousands of people employed in the German coal industry,
. . . the threat of job losses, and wider economic repercussions,
. . . have so far prevented politicians from committing to a deadline to ditch coal.
And despite growing public pressure, Merkel continues,
. . . to tacitly support the polluting industry.

Accepting that the immediate shut-down,
. . . of Germany's coal operations is politically impossible,
. . . the experts proposed a gradual strategy to wean the country off coal.
First, the oldest, most inefficient, and therefore climate-damaging plants,
. . . should be closed by 2020.
The remaining coal power stations would be kept online,
. . . with decreased production, as a back-up to guarantee a stable electricity supply, and
. . . shut down one by one, until the last closed in 2030.
The plan echoes Germany's gradual phase-out of nuclear,
. . . which will see the last nuclear power plant shut down in 2022.

As with the nuclear phase-out,
. . . the study recommends the government  
. . . work towards a consensus, between affected:
. . . . . . regions,
. . . . . . companies,
. . . . . . labor unions, and
. . . . . . environmental organizations.

10-3-2017 Source:  #Germany VS Coal