It was not until the end of March that the traffic light coalition had agreed on an amendment to the climate protection law. Now a dispute breaks out – also because of a decision by the Chancellery.
And that despite the fact that this obligation is stipulated in the current climate protection law. The reason given by the Chancellery is the planned reform of the Climate Protection Act, which the coalition committee had agreed on at the end of March. This no longer provides for such immediate climate protection programs. “We have a different decision,” said deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner on Monday.
Since then, tempers have been running high. The green coalition partner protests. There is growing resistance within the party to the decision of the chancellor’s office – and the reform of the law continues to be highly controversial.
“Irresponsible in terms of climate policy and unacceptable under the rule of law”
The member of the Bundestag and head of the Greens group from Bavaria, Jamila Schäfer, said on t-online: “The fact that Scholz announced that the climate protection law would no longer apply to Wissing is irresponsible in terms of climate policy and also unacceptable under the rule of law.” The executive cannot free itself from applicable laws. “The chancellor should take that back,” demanded Schäfer. “Otherwise you get the impression of a crude prioritization at the expense of our livelihoods.”
Party co-leader Omid Nouripour contradicted the representation from the Chancellery on Tuesday morning on the RTL and ntv channels. The traffic light coalition would plan to change the climate protection law. “Until then, the previous law applies,” said the Green.
Green climate politician Lisa Badum wrote on Twitter that she had no idea on what basis a government spokesman flouted laws. “That’s not how it works!”
The planned reform of the climate protection law
The SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed in the coalition committee at the end of March to amend the climate protection law. Accordingly, the strict targets for greenhouse gas emissions for individual sectors are to be relaxed. Instead, the traffic light coalition wants to look at emissions across all areas. If a sector misses its target, other sectors that perform better should be able to compensate. The federal government should only have to take concrete countermeasures after two years at the earliest. In addition, the benchmark for achieving the climate goals should no longer be looking back at the past, but the long-term forecast possibility of meeting the climate goals.
Not only the announcement of the chancellor’s office caused a stir. On Tuesday, there were more voices from the ranks of the Greens, who called for maintaining sector responsibility even after the reform of the climate protection law. It is still unclear to what extent this will be retained.
The parliamentary group leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, Katharina Dröge, confirmed on Twitter that there will also be a law in the future that “binds to compliance with the climate targets”, as well as to create a climate protection program if the targets are missed. The following applies: “No sector escapes responsibility.”
Party leader Nouripour explicitly took on the transport minister at RTL and ntv. According to Nouripour, the deficits in this sector are so great that they cannot be sufficiently compensated for by other areas. “The overall result will not be achievable if nothing more is actually done in the transport sector.”
Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer said to t-online: “I find it scandalous that the FDP first systematically sabotaged climate protection goals in traffic and was subsequently able to enforce legitimacy.” His Green Party membership will be suspended until the end of the year. He criticized the planned overall view of greenhouse gas emissions: “If everyone is responsible, nobody is responsible. Every organizational consultant knows that. That’s why deleting the sector targets is grossly wrong.”
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Wissing failed to provide an immediate program for 2021
The Ministry of Transport had already announced before the statement from the Chancellery that it did not want to launch a new emergency program. The reason given here was that the coalition had already agreed on an amendment to the Climate Protection Act. Last year, the FDP-led house made only one proposal for 2021, which the Expert Council on Climate Issues rejected as insufficient. Wasn’t improved.
It is not only the Ministry of Transport that has missed the sector targets: the Ministry of Construction under Klara Geywitz (SPD) must also submit an immediate program by law. The ministry has already stated that it will continue to develop the emergency program from last year.
