„This is not a desert (yet)“: Teslocracy and the limits of green tech

June 23 at 7:30 p.m. | Reading followed by a discussion

In just under two years, the Tesla “Gigafactory” was built on the outskirts of Berlin, right in the middle of a water protection area. CEO Elon Musk’s appearance in Grünheide has become legendary, during which he brushed off critical questions about water consumption with the remark: “This is not a desert.” The editors of the newly published volume "Teslokratie. Ideologien des Tech-Kapitalismus" (Teslocracy: Ideologies of Tech Capitalism), by Christoph Chwatal, Alexander Karschnia, Heimo Lattner, speak with Heiko Baschin, a representative of the Grünheide Citizens’ Initiative and a contributor to the volume, as well as political scientist Maike Weißpflug and water experts about the “Giga Berlin” case.

How could such a large-scale project be realized so quickly in the first place? “Secrecy” was the key to success, members of the Brandenburg state government revealed. What does it mean for democracy if civil society is no longer taken into account in planning in the future? And hasn’t the factory long since proven to be an ecological time bomb?

Does Germany really need more “Tesla-speed,” as former Economics Minister Robert Habeck suggested? Or must we rather rediscover state regulation as an “infrastructure of freedom,” as political scientist Maike Weißpflug argues in the volume? How do we counter “libertarian authoritarianism,” which manifests itself in new forms of governance such as “Teslocracy”?

- When: Tuesday, June 23rd, 7:30 pm
- Where: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin
- Registration at: LINK