Fossil energy
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Romania: Forgotten miners in the Valley of Tears
13 January 201210716 Die Tageszeitung Berlin -
Fossile energy: Europe rediscovers coal
4 August 20111692 La Stampa Turin -
Romania: A gift of black gold
13 January 2011PresseuropJurnalul Naţional -
Renewable Energies: Green revolution will cost you
24 September 20101754 Der Spiegel Hamburg -
Ecology: German judges spurn coal
18 September 2009PresseuropDie Tageszeitung -
Renewable energy: Will Africa's rivers and sun power Europe?
25 August 200953 The Independent London -
Turkey: Ilisu project damned
8 July 2009PresseuropFrankfurter Rundschau
In Ceausescu's times thousands of Romanians, drawn by high wages, flocked to the coalfields of the Jiu Valley. Today many of the mines in the valley are closed and the miners have been left to fend for themselves. Many are sliding into criminality.
The Fukushima accident has greatly reduced interest in nuclear power. But because renewable energies are not sufficient to satisfy the needs of the Old Continent, European nations are turning to the most ancient source of fuel but also the most polluting.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's vision of completing Germany's conversion to renewable energy by 2050 is bold and ambitious. But she has remained silent about the risks and the tremendous costs the green revolution will entail -- for Germany and all of Europe.
Two massive power-generating schemes have been launched in recent weeks. One offers to create the world's largest solar farm, the other to create the biggest hydroelectric dam on the planet. While situated in Africa, they both aim to export electricity to Europe. The Independent weighs up the pros and cons of two ambitious projects, which, according to many critics, smacks of a colonial style power grab.