Federal party conference in Karlsruhe
Greens approve change of course on CO2 storage
November 26, 2023, 2:28 a.m
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At the federal party conference of the Greens in Karlsruhe, the delegates supported a change of course on technologies through which CO2 can be cut off during production and stored. But not without criticism. Another issue also shows that the party is struggling.
To achieve their climate goals, the Greens are now also relying on the storage and use of carbon dioxide (CO2). A federal party conference in Karlsruhe decided to move away from the previous strict rejection and thus followed a change of course that the party leadership and Economics Minister Robert Habeck had suggested. In certain cases, funding should also be used for this purpose. “Where technically unavoidable emissions arise, this can be actively promoted,” says a chapter of the European election program passed by a large majority. The Greens reject active support for so-called Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) for the production of blue hydrogen in Germany.
In a few sectors, such as the cement industry, there will continue to be emissions in the future that are difficult or impossible to avoid given the current state of technology, according to the resolution. “In these areas, we want to take advantage of technological opportunities and capture the CO2 directly during production, store it in a safe and stable form and, if necessary, use it as part of closed carbon cycles.” Individual delegates warned against this “fundamental change of position”. However, a basic motion to reject the change of course did not find a majority. Even before the vote, the original wording in the draft program had been slightly changed with the consent of the party leadership and the Green Youth.
Asylum is a controversial issue
The Greens struggled even more on another issue at the party conference. A number of younger delegates expressed massive criticism of the traffic light’s asylum policy. “It is dishonest to talk about limitations when the world is on fire,” said Vasili Franco, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives. The leader of the Green Youth, Katharina Stolla, warned: “Anyone who follows the right will stumble.” And: “There is no reason for further tightening of asylum laws.” Critics of government policy were loudly applauded.
The Green Party politicians Ricarda Lang and Winfried Kretschmann wrote in a joint guest article for the “Tagesspiegel” three and a half weeks ago: “When capacities reach their limits – as they are now – the numbers must also fall.”