in contrast, germany's lignite- fired power plants are running at full tilt like this one in boxberg, saxony. paradoxically, lignite is enjoying a renaissance because the most important climate protection tool here emissions trading doesn't punish major polluters enough. >> that's no doubt because the current price for emissions permits is relatively low, 7 euros. if it were 17 or 27 euros, things would be different. then irsching would be running at full capacity, and the lignite-fired power plants would be working less, because for every tonne of carbon, you have to give in a permit, and that has to be bought on the market. converting lignite to power emits 2 to 3 times more carbon than running an efficient gas- fired power plant like the one in irsching. >> converting polluting lignite to power instead of climate friendly natural gas makes business sense because of the drop in prices for permits in european emissions trading. for the 11,000 or so participants - steelworks, power plants and other high- carbon companies - the current 7 euros per ton of co2 is hardly an incentive to c