Just a quick fix

The German government is now apparently planning to tighten up the climate protection law in a fast-track procedure. After the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court that the current climate protection plans are not sufficient, time is pressing. Immediately after the ruling was announced, the opposition used the opportunity to campaign with demands for stricter climate protection.

Among others, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, leader of the Green Party parliamentary group, called for swift action by the federal government. The ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court had shown that "the efforts for climate protection are not sufficient", the Green politician said before a digital parliamentary group meeting, according to Börse Online. In the time left to federal elections in September, "not everything can be overturned", but "first steps (...) have to be taken now".

The Greens, who are entering the election campaign with their own candidate for chancellor for the first time, are pleased that, in addition to Corona, climate protection is now on everyone's lips again. In the grand coalition, on the other hand, the issue has long been a bone of contention. The search for a coal phase-out plan alone has dragged on for months. Now, however, everything is to happen very quickly and the cabinet is to decide on the amended law as early as Wednesday. Main objective seems to quickly shelve the issue and concentrate on other election campaign subjects.

It appears to be clear that CDU (Christ Democratic Party) and SPD (Social Democratic Party) will not be able to agree on the details of the new law in such a short time. They are working at full speed to get an amended climate protection law through the cabinet on Wednesday, they tell SPIEGEL.

The German government wants to leave the exact details until later (Image: Pixabay)

Accuracy suffers under the rush as detailed issues are to be determined only later. This is a pity, because "the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on the Climate Protection Act was an urgently needed call to order to the government to immediately ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of life of this and future generations, also in climate protection. If the right political course will be set now, it is quite possible to completely decarbonise the energy sector as early as 2035," says Robert Busch, Managing Director of the German Association for New Energy Economy (bne).

The time of "wash me, but don't get me wet" is over, says the association. "In view of the new targets, the conclusion is compelling that the expansion path for renewable energies will be raised to 75 to 80 percent by 2030," explains Busch. But targets alone are not enough. Accordingly, the expansion paths and tender quantities for wind and solar energy in the Renewable Energy Sources Act must be significantly adjusted as "early transparent measures".

However, it is likely to be only a slimmed-down package that the coalition will be launching under the pressure of the Karlsruhe ruling, because "according to SPIEGEL information, concrete measures and further instruments such as an increase in CO2 prices are not yet included". Corresponding plans could be packaged by protocol declaration and adopted in the coming weeks.

"The Federal Constitutional Court has given politicians the clear mandate to ensure that the climate targets will be met. This is only possible with a genuine ambition that would also withstand a renewed judicial review," says Busch.

It is questionable whether this can be achieved with a quick fix.