Germany maybe seeking to phase out nuclear energy and convert to renewables by 2022, but the country’s dependence on fossil fuels will remain for sometime. That is the conclusion of a study released Wednesday by the country’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). Despite the country’s transition off coal, natural gas and oil, the fossil fuels make up 80% of the country’s energy consumption.

The BGR also states that oil is the primary source of fuel for energy globally, and worldwide makes up about a third of the primary source of consumption which is unlikely to change. Even with the increased usage of shale oil will not change demand either. Natural gas and coal would last longer than oil to supply energy needs and a large amount of non-renewable resources are still plentiful. The agency still clings to the notion of transitioning to renewable energy down the line.

All of this doesn’t make any sense. If fossil fuels are the country’s primary source of energy, Germans need to ask themselves why would their lawmakers waste their time trying to transition off of fossil fuels even when they are still used despite renewable energy sources won’t work? Of course political expediency is one reason but it also is symbolic the rejection of energy as the primary source of the existence of the country itself. If energy sources like wind, solar and hydroelectric power are able to power Germany then the country should get off fossil fuels completely and not use them as a backup. Either go all in or dump renewables and admit using renewables is a mistake. I will wait with baited breath for this to happen.

What is odd is that Germany’s Prime Minister Angela Merkel still approves of this transition despite the awful environmental record of communist countries like East Germany where she is from. If renewables are such a great idea and can supply Germans with their energy needs there is no reason to resort to or remain on fossil fuels. German energy needs should be done with entirely with renewables and see what happens. The results, I am sure, will not be pretty.