Paul Hockenos

Paul Hockenos, a Berlin-based writer, wrote the first book on Central Europe’s far right, in 1993. His most recent book is Berlin Calling: A Story of Anarchy, Music, the Wall and the Birth of the New Berlin.

A photovoltaic power station in Binzhou City, Shandong province, on November 18, 2025.

China Is Now the World’s Climate Champion China Is Now the World’s Climate Champion

The news out of COP30 does not engender much hope, but China’s embrace of renewable energy shows that climate protection makes smart economic sense.

Nov 18, 2025 / Paul Hockenos

A view of a “Cascade” fountain located in the Shevchenko City Garden

Letter From Kharkiv Letter From Kharkiv

Life on the forever front.

Jul 25, 2025 / Paul Hockenos

Ukraine’s Dangerous Illusion of New Nuclear Energy 

Ukraine’s Dangerous Illusion of New Nuclear Energy  Ukraine’s Dangerous Illusion of New Nuclear Energy 

Nuclear plants are prime targets in wartime Ukraine. Renewables are safer, cheaper—and already on the rise.

Apr 10, 2025 / Paul Hockenos

Volunteers of the medical battalion Hospitallers providing first aid while evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the war area on May 15, 2024 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine.

Civic Resistance in Ukraine Civic Resistance in Ukraine

The grassroots upsurge is young, largely female, horizontally organized, tech-savvy, and mostly volunteer-run.

Jul 11, 2024 / Paul Hockenos and Anthony Borden

man holds a sign that says 1.5

The EU’s Secret to Slashing Emissions The EU’s Secret to Slashing Emissions

Europe proves that putting a price on carbon can dramatically transform fossil fuel–based economies.

Apr 10, 2024 / Paul Hockenos

The husk of the Hotel Odessa can be seen in the port city in the morning. Russian cruise missiles hit the hotel on September 25, 2023.

Dispatch From Odessa: Ukrainians Have No Plan B Dispatch From Odessa: Ukrainians Have No Plan B

Everyone in Odessa seems to think that Ukraine is on its way to total victory. What if that’s not possible?

Mar 21, 2024 / Paul Hockenos

Five Strategies to Beat Back Germany’s Far Right

Five Strategies to Beat Back Germany’s Far Right Five Strategies to Beat Back Germany’s Far Right

The Alternative for Germany party is soaring in popularity, especially in the east. Now many Germans are fiercely debating how best to defeat the radical right.

Jan 30, 2024 / Paul Hockenos

The full moon rises over the cooling towers of the Trillo Nuclear Power Plant in Guadalajara, Spain.

Should Governments Reinvest in Nuclear Power to Fight Climate Change? Should Governments Reinvest in Nuclear Power to Fight Climate Change?

Jessica Lovering argues that nothing scales up like nuclear, while Paul Hockenos says it is just too expensive and slow to deploy.

Nov 16, 2022 / The Debate / Jessica Lovering and Paul Hockenos

A mockup of a nuclear reactor at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Nuclear Power Is a Dead End. We Must Abandon It Completely. Nuclear Power Is a Dead End. We Must Abandon It Completely.

Even given Europe's energy crisis, the case against nuclear power has never been so conclusive—and so important.

Oct 13, 2022 / Paul Hockenos

A person holds a sign the colors of the Ukranian flag with a slogan about an embargo of oil and gas

Starve the Putin War Machine—and Save the Climate Starve the Putin War Machine—and Save the Climate

Long overlooked, energy conservation is the best and fastest way to end the world’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

Mar 28, 2022 / Paul Hockenos

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