Dr. Frank Umbach in a radio interview with Radio Bonn Fm on the global climate protection summit and global energy megatrends.

Dr. Frank Umbach on German dependence on Russian gas in an interview with the ARD magazine Fakt on November 09, 2022.

Prof. Maximilian Mayer talks about Germany's economic dependence on China in an interview with Deutschlandfunk Nova.

Till Haase and Martina Schulte from Deutschlandfunk Nova discuss the study on digital autonomy conducted by Prof. Maximilian Mayer and Yen-Chi Lu.

Despite numerous efforts to diversify gas imports and reduce gas consumption, Germany could still experience a shortage this winter, at least locally or regionally (despite the fact that it has already filled its gas storage sites to more than 85 percent, four weeks ahead of an October 1 target). In countering Russia’s strategy of gas weaponization, Germany could be less reactive and instead unilaterally declare a “price ultimatum” to the Kremlin. It could use and bundle Europe’s purchasing power against Moscow to reduce Russian gas and oil prices and significantly decrease the Kremlin’s revenues from European gas and oil exports. Though this would temporarily lead to a short gas shortage over the winter, it would also help industry, private households and the German government plan more securely, allowing for more effective gas saving.

The more Russia decouples from the globalized system, the more it will try to evade Western sanctions by relying on illicit, unconventional and opaque trading schemes. Already during previous decades, Moscow falsified and cherry-picked economic, energy and climate-related data – often unchallenged by Western governments. Now these figures will become even less transparent, more dubious or will be classified as state secrets. Still, it is also becoming evident that sanctions alone will not stop President Putin’s aggression.