Long years Germany was the leader in climate protection, but not for years, it is possible to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. And the government, it is difficult to agree on a climate protection law.
On the issue of climate protection, representatives of the German government coalition of CDU, CSU and SPD will react annoyed these days. Just only environment Minister Svenja has submitted Schulze of the SPD, a first draft of the climate protection act, that (the Parties) hope to September to be adopted. And already there is Trouble.
“We stand for climate protection, but we want to make it reasonable,” said the CDU parliamentary leader Ralph Brinkhaus. And further: “We have to do together with the people in this country and not from above, through prohibitions and regulations.”
“When it comes to climate protection the people go”: the CDU parliamentary leader Ralph Brinkhaus
Union slows down when the protection of the climate
What had happened? Schulze’s design provides that all departments make their own suggestions, such as greenhouse gas emissions until 2030 by a whopping 55 per cent can be reduced. And legally binding. To date, all Federal governments had promised easy package to reduce greenhouse gases, what worked long years. But recently, this method was failed with a Bang. The target to reduce 40 percent of greenhouse gases by 2020 will be clearly missed. Now about the traffic to deliver, especially in the areas that have so far contributed to in Germany virtually nothing to climate protection. But the responsible Minister Andreas Scheuer of the CSU is afraid of hard conditions for motorists and industry. And with him many members of the CDU and the CSU.
“Ten years ago, Germany was the one-eyed among the Blind”
Twelve years ago, approximately at the beginning of the chancellorship of Angela Merkel (CDU) was all that different. Germany hosted the G7-summit in Heiligendamm that climate protection was the most important topic. Christoph Bals, the climate expert at the environmental group Germanwatch, remembers the time: “If you look at the development of the greenhouse gas emissions, Germany was a good ten years ago, in fact, a pioneer in climate protection and the one-eyed man among the Blind in the world.”
Group image the G7 heads of state and government in Beach chairs in Heiligendamm in 2007
But today no one longer speaks from the top of the class in reducing greenhouse gases, the stagnant in fact, in the last few years either, or even slightly increased. The Chairman of the Greens, Robert Habeck, said: “As would be heard only yesterday, that we need to do something such as climate protection. I don’t know in what world you lived in. And if they have watched any news in the last few years.” The time is over, that you could make grandiose promises without the deeds to allow it, says Habeck.
The coalition agreement calls for a climate protection law
Actually, the environment Minister Schulze continues, despite the controversial way – with your approach, the goals of the coalition Treaty in the spring of 2018. There it is, the government wants to write to the compliance with the climate target, this time binding. And in addition to the industry, transport and agriculture can minimize greenhouse gas emissions, the building should be modernized, in order to save heating energy. In the coalition agreement it is stated: “On this basis, we want to pass a law that ensures compliance with climate protection goals by 2030.”
Fear of painful steps
However, the implementation to prepare the government parties now in big trouble. Christoph Bals from the environmental group German Watch this is due to the fact that German climate policy has lost much of its Elan. Long years have taken care of the government to more popular destinations such as the Expansion of Renewable energies. To now, one had to go the painful steps. Restrictions for car drivers, or the phase-out of coal-fired power generation, to mention only two points. “You dare not, to the serious structural change in the coal field, in the transport sector, in buildings, in agriculture, in industry approach,” said Bals of the DW. A coal-phase-proposed by a specially appointed Commission a few weeks ago, however, the should be made until 2038, which consider many climate experts as a lot of late.
Now penalties even threaten
On the United Nations climate change conference in Katowice in Poland last December, Germany was under severe pressure. The internationally renowned climate researcher Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, head of the climate research Institute in Potsdam, anger in the direction of the German: “The deficit is mind-boggling. There is hardly a state is not doing enough. We take this planet straight to the wall!”
“We will be highly appreciated here” : environment Minister Svenja Schulze at the climate conference in Katowice, 2018
At the time, Schulze had advertised to understanding the complicated Situation in Germany. “We are the only industrialized country that has at the same time get out of nuclear power and announced from the coal of get on. And already a third of the Renewable energies in the power supply has” – she said in the Interview. – “This performance, to do that as an industrial country, is highly appreciated here, very much.” Meanwhile, Schulze has recognized that the mostly of the successes are in the past. And now wants to prevent Germany criminal has to make payments if, for example, the climate goal, committed to the country within the EU has not managed. This can happen in the next year. And would be a terrible embarrassment for the previous climate pioneer.