Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

The problem is...this whole thing should have been properly initiated 20 years ago with a clear goal

Even today, I miss having a plan for the next 20 years. Unfortunately, it will become uncomfortable when new reservoirs, wind turbines near residential areas, and new power lines become necessary. Then the complaining will be loud again.

Oh yes. The discussion and the question of compensation for affected residents should have been held much earlier. Because it is also clear that the rural population is not thrilled that city dwellers vote green and dump their wind turbines and power lines in the countryside. Just as campaigns against cars affect rural populations differently than city dwellers.

Oh yes. The discussion and the question of compensation for affected residents should have been held much earlier. Because it is also clear that the rural population is not enthusiastic about city dwellers voting Green and dumping their wind turbines and power lines in the countryside. Just like campaigns against cars affect the rural population differently than city dwellers.

Sure, you don't create acceptance by just doing it. Much would already be gained if the 30k wind turbines we already have were simply renewed. Then one could save a lot of new wind turbines.

In fact, one must keep an eye on the urban-rural issue when making decisions, otherwise it quickly becomes a "us against them" situation. It already starts with the discussions about the continuation of the 9 euro ticket, where some people in rural areas think, "someone is complaining that they now have to pay 40€ instead of 9€ for the monthly ticket and I have no public transport to get to work and therefore have to buy a car, where insurance alone costs me as much as the city dweller's ticket, and then they also want to put the wind turbine right outside my door and increase fuel prices so that I finally cycle the 20 km to work or take the bus that runs every 2–3 hours and takes over an hour for the trip. I might as well throw my kids out the window so they can walk to daycare"... I’ve heard something along those lines before...

Yes, you also have to keep the rural population in mind, but you simply cannot establish a regularly operating bus line to every single village. You have to focus on the (small) cities. And there you should offer not a cheap rubbish ticket, but a relatively affordable ticket to make public transport more attractive. Because, for example, using all public transport in a metropolitan area for 49€ per month instead of paying over 100€ per month is reasonable. This way you also get more people from the outskirts of Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, etc. to use the train. Then of course you have to expand the routes and operate more trains. And yes, the rural population has decided to move to the village themselves. This does not mean a village with 5,000 inhabitants, but one with only a few hundred inhabitants. It was known before making the decision that you rely heavily on individual transport there. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Low purchase prices, longer commuting distances and higher costs, or vice versa. You just have to take that into account. In many small towns with 5,000 inhabitants, there are already mostly very regular bus lines to the train station, so you can get to the city quickly (30 minutes). But sending a bus to every small village unfortunately does not work.

[..], where some people in rural areas think "someone is complaining that they now have to pay 40€ instead of 9€ for the monthly ticket again, and I don't have any public transport [..], so that I finally ride my bike the 20km to work or take the bus that runs every 2-3 hours and takes over an hour for the route. I then throw the kids out the window so they can walk to the daycare"... I've heard something like that before...

This is not only the case in rural areas, but also in big cities. With one bus transfer, the way to work by bus takes a full hour: - 10 minutes walk to the first stop - 5 minutes waiting - 15 minutes riding - 10 minutes waiting for the connection - 10 minutes riding - 5 minutes walk to the workplace For comparison: 20-25 minutes by car for about 10 km. And even if you were paid extra for riding the bus, everyone in the city would take the car, because otherwise they wouldn’t get to daycare on time. The alternative is the bicycle. But taking the bus, that’s out of the question.