ZDF talk: Spahn on "Lanz": CDU is "the true climate protection party"

Berlin
The CDU wants to position itself as a climate protection party. However, this claim puts Jens Spahn in need of explanation in “Markus Lanz”.

After long criticism for its hesitant environmental and climate policy, the CDU wants to reposition itself as a climate protection party. This is what it says in the “Weimar Declaration”, which the federal executive board passed at the annual meeting of the Union. And so Markus Lanz also quoted CDU politicians on Thursday evening Jens Spahn: “We have always been and will continue to be the true climate protection party.”

A statement that Lanz – so it seems – can’t exactly classify himself. “Is that true, is that bold or is it so bold that it’s good again?” Asks the moderator – and first of all gives the floor to Spahn himself.

“Markus Lanz” – These were the guests:

Jens Spahn, CDU politician
Eva Quadbeck, Editor-in-Chief “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland”
Claudia Kemfert, energy economist
Kathrin Witsch, “Handelsblatt” journalist

“Lanz”: Spahn defends the CDU as a climate protection party

This leaves no doubt about his statement. After all, since the 1990s, all decisions related to climate protection and the expansion of renewable energies have been made in Christian-democratic terms. Spahn also states that 48 percent of electricity products in Germany now come from renewable energies be won. “Mr. Habeck didn’t do that in eight months,” he teased the governing party.

A self-praise for them CDUthat not everyone in the studio can share. “If you look to the left, you can decide,” Markus Lanz grins. “Ms. Witsch’s rolling eyes or Ms. Kemfert’s rolling eyes.”

CDU: Energy economist finds clear words against party

Energy economist Claudia Kemfert speaks first and finds clear words. Spahn’s statement was a joke for her. “If we now look back 16 years, and for which the CDU is also responsible, the energy transition has been massively slowed down.” Electricity price brake which was introduced in 2013 by the then Environment and Economics Ministers Peter Altmaier (CDU) and Philipp Rösler (FDP) so that electricity prices for consumers would not continue to rise. On the other hand, operators of solar and wind systems were charged more heavily. “Primarily a brake on renewable energies,” judges Kemfert and does not hold back with her further criticism. “The CDU is mainly responsible for the fact that we are so far away from the actual climate goals.”

Yes, mistakes were made, admits Spahn, who now seems slightly annoyed by the discussion and the allegations. But even the current climate course is not flawless. “You can dissolve Germany, that’s it world climate problem not yet solved because we only make two percent of global CO2 emissions,” he counters. His goal is therefore to react more broadly to the climate crisis “with new ideas, with new approaches”.

“There is so much more than just the expansion of renewable energies. However, our German focus is always only on that.” Spahn brings CCS into play as a possible alternative. The abbreviation stands for “Carbon Capture and Storage” – i.e. the storage of CO2 in the ground. A technique that has so far been banned in Germany. He also thinks e-fuels are important, as is research into nuclear fusion.

“Lanz”: Germany must make progress on climate protection

The “Handelsblatt” editor Kathrin Witsch intervened, albeit not quite as critically as Kemfert. “The program of the CDU contains many important points,” she says. However, it would have left out a few points, such as the further expansion of renewable energies, too far. “We need everything in parallel.” For example, you can continue to nuclear fusion research, but not with the thought that it is “the ultimate solution”.

Eva Quadbeck listened for a long time with admirable patience as the two sides clash. The editor-in-chief of the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” was bothered by Spahn’s argument that Germany has little influence on international climate policy because it is only responsible for two percent of global CO2 emissions: “If a industrial countrya rich country like Germany, does not make progress on the issue of climate protection, then nobody in the world will.” She thinks: We could trigger a domino effect – and achieve so much for everyone.