#282: Drying lakes, Mauerpark, Tesla, economy up
It's Magnus Hirschfeld Day.
Dear 20 Percent,
Hundreds of eco-activists tried to storm the Tesla factory on Friday. The footage is impressive. I’ve taken part in the odd climate protest, so I am sympathetic to their concerns but maybe disrupting an electric car company is just… er, dumb?
Yes, Elon is an unpleasant person. Yes, people shouldn’t buy as many cars. Yes, we should all travel by train, bicycle and on horseback. And yes, EVs suck up too many resources. And yes, the factory has some negative effects on the local ecosystem.
But I ask myself: Why aren’t they going for VW, BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc? The German firms still cranking out combustion engines like it was 1980 and had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the the electric era? Or maybe the German government that recently scrapped subsidies on electric automobiles? The mind boggles!
More news below.
Maurice
PS. Thanks again to our sponsor, Feather, who can help answer your German health insurance questions in their webinar at 7pm tonight (May 14).
“Semi-desert climate”
Tesla or no Tesla, Brandenburg, the largely rural state enveloping Berlin is drying up, thanks to climate change, says environmental non-profit BUND. The organisation says lakes’ water levels are dropping rapidly. Ground water levels are also dropping due to drier, hotter weather, execessive agricultural irrigation and mining. BUND says rationing could be soon necessary: “Do we really have to shower every day?" said the deputy BUND state chairman Thomas Volpers. He warned that a global temperature rise of more than 1.5°C could result in a “total loss of the lakes”. Brandenburg — which also means Berlin — could become a “semi-desert climate”.
Berlin still outpacing Germany
While Germany as a whole flirts with recession, the Berlin economy is predicted to grow by a solid 2% this year, according to Investionsbank Berlin. Growth in the capital has been above the national average every year since 2014. The fastest growing sectors are “business services” and “IT and communication”. Tourism has also bounced back.
€10 tix to Amsterdam?
A new Dutch company striving to become the “Easyjet of trains” says it will offer Berlin-Amsterdam service for under €10 starting 2025. However, the GoVolta trains will be slower than Deutsche Bahn. It’s estimated the trip to the Netherlands will take 8 hours instead of 6. But with DB’s punctuality track record, that’s okay with me.
…some upcoming events curated by our friends at The Next Day Berlin:
Opening: Thursday, 16.05, 7 pm. Exhibition until 03.11. Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstrasse 50, 10557 Berlin.
Marianna Simnett’s WINNER is a multichannel film installation for the 2024 European Football Championship. Set on a football pitch and inspired by Graham Greene's The Destructors, it explores football’s power dynamics and crowd psychology through dance. The vivid exhibition extends into the museum, immersing viewers in images and melancholic songs about winning.
Carnival of Cultures
Fri-Mon, 17-20.05. Fri: 4-11 pm; Sat-Sun: 11 am - 11 pm; Mon: 11 am - 7 pm. Street parade on Sunday at 2 pm. Blücherplatz, Kreuzberg. Free admission.
The Carnival of Cultures in Berlin offers a vibrant immersion into diverse cultures in the cosmopolitan city. The highlight is the Sunday Parade with 60 floats on Pentecost Sunday, at the following stations: Yorckstraße, Gneisenaustraße, and Hasenheide. We recommend following the 'Urso Ki Ti Schubsen' float, where we had a lot of fun in 2023.
Liftoff Open Air
Saturday, 18.03, 2 - 10 pm. Turbulence TXL, ZKSI Flughafen, Tegel 1, 13405 Berlin. Bus 109, Stop "Urban Tech Republic". Free entrance.
Do you miss Tegel? Well, Turbulence Berlin is back at the former Berlin-Tegel airport. Expect live and DJ sets playing house and techno, along with art, food, and drinks—a glimpse into the new season with much more to come. 🎧 DASCO
For more culture and nightlife, subscribe to The Next Day Berlin.
Factoid
Twenty-five trucks are currently transporting 20,000 m² of turf from Waidhofen in Bavaria to Mauerpark, where the grass in the “old” section of the park is being re-done after decades of bottles caps, cigarette butts and drum circles exacted a heavy toll. Bearpit Karoake to return once the makeover is finished — in a matter of weeks, apparently. We’ll keep you posted.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Please visit our sponsor! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
🔔 Unlock the Secrets to Optimal Health Insurance Coverage! Join Our Exclusive Webinar! 🔔
🌟 Are you struggling to navigate the complex world of health insurance?
🌟 Are you unsure if you have the right coverage for your needs?
🌟 Do you want to maximize the benefits of your health insurance plan?
Look no further! Our expert-led webinar is your roadmap to understanding and optimizing your health insurance coverage.
📅 Date: May 14th 🕒 Time: 7pm to 8pm CET 📍 Where: Online - Join from Anywhere!
In this session, you'll discover:
✅ How to choose or switch to the health insurance plan tailored to YOUR needs
✅ Insider tips for getting the most out of your health insurance benefits
✅ Common pitfalls to avoid when selecting or using health insurance
Led by industry professionals, this webinar is your opportunity to gain invaluable insights and take control of your health coverage journey.
Don't miss out on this essential knowledge! Reserve your spot now and unlock the key to a healthier, happier you!
On the topic of the Tesla protests:
I'm really not a fan of the logic that because there are worse things elsewhere, that people shouldn't protest something that is genuinely shitty. Yes, I would love to see actions happen against the traditional car companies too. But should be an *and* not an *or*.
Some reasons to fight Tesla's expansion are broad, and not Tesla-specific. For example, we need to be moving away from car infrastructure in general and putting more focus on public transit, biking and walking. The production of electric vehicles uses up resources like lithium, which are extracted in ways that are absolutely horrific for the people who do the work, while also badly damaging those environments. This extraction and destruction is worth fighting against. Electric vehicles are certainly *part* of how we navigate the climate crisis, but the way they're being made now is a fucking problem. And it also does not make sense to continue the destructive pattern of individualized transport in big, heavy, dangerous vehicles.
To get to the specifics though, about why Tesla, why this factory, why now... There is an immediate and urgent threat to the water supply and to the forest. At the same time that there's talk of rationing water for personal use, Tesla is trying to greatly expand its water-use. If Musk and Tesla's past behavior is any indication of future plans, they will do this regardless of whatever rules (if any) exist for them. If the forest is lost, and the water use of Tesla is expanded, it will be very hard or impossible to reverse the damage.
So yeah... fuck every car factory and company in Germany. None of them are behaving correctly given our current context, and all of them are a legitimate target of rage. But we have one in particular, very close by, that is about to cause significant and irreversible damage. I support the forest occupiers.
If you'd rather see action against the other car companies, go right ahead! Use your platform to rip them apart. But stop shitting on people who you say you're "sympathetic" to. You can help, or you can get out of the way.
That guy wondering whether it’s necessary to shower every day is not riding the U8 every day to work, clearly.