Thursday, November 4th, 2021
Climate protection in traffic light discussions
Green tip admits the need for improvement
The exploratory paper of the traffic light parties remains vague in many places, including on climate protection. The leadership of the Greens is therefore under criticism internally, but also from environmental associations. The latter should now help to improve the coalition agreement.
The Green leadership has admitted mistakes in the coalition negotiations with the SPD and FDP on climate protection. “Unfortunately, in some places the exploratory paper still lacks the necessary clarity,” said a letter from the entire party and parliamentary group leadership to eight environmental associations that was available to the Reuters news agency. “Here we will use the negotiations that are now beginning at the technical level in order to achieve what is necessary in our common interest.”
Much still needs to be done in the talks on climate and biodiversity protection. “It would be very helpful for this – and in parts you are already on it – if you could work to ensure that the SPD and FDP make ambitious proposals here,” asks the Green leadership. “If we have to continue to do this alone, it will make the negotiations extremely difficult.”
On Wednesday, the Reuters news agency reported that there was massive anger within the Greens over the climate section of the exploratory paper. In particular, the planned changes to the Climate Protection Act and CO2 savings in the transport sector caused unrest. The Greens tried to correct this in the talks, but this met with resistance from the other parties.
Environmental groups criticize greens
In addition, eight environmental associations from BUND to WWF and Greenpeace had indirectly criticized the Greens for weakening the Climate Protection Act: “The new Federal Government must strengthen the Climate Protection Act with its annual sector targets and give the Climate Expert Council more powers. A softening of the law would be a catastrophic false start. ”
The Greens also respond to this in their letter to the associations: “The Climate Protection Act is important as a governance instrument, and there must also continue to be sector targets and the annual monitoring report for all sectors,” they write and explain: But they want to develop the law further Achieve a forward-looking and comprehensive assessment of the situation in the various sectors such as transport, agriculture or buildings.
If the target is missed, there must be countermeasures. They also want to strengthen the expert council named by the associations, which has to evaluate and approve the countermeasures. “Thank you for your letter to us and, above all, that you share our concerns,” the Greens continued to say. At the end there are the first names of the party leadership from Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck, the parliamentary group leadership and the chief climate negotiator Oliver Krischer.