08/25/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
After the expert council on climate issues has classified the government's climate protection program as insufficient, a broad alliance of associations is now demanding rapid action.
After sharp criticism from the scientific community of the climate policy of the traffic light coalition, a broad alliance of 42 associations has called on the government to take immediate action to still "achieve the German climate targets by 2030". Important is thereby also "a socially fair implementation of the transformation", it was said in a common statement.
Concretely the federations require "binding annual energy saving goals for the individual sectors". This must be linked with a monitoring as well as sanction mechanisms with offences. Such obligatory sector goals give it at present for the CO2-exhaustion, the traffic light coalition is however straight in the term to abolish these.
In addition a country wide coal exit is demanded to 2030 as well as the brisk designation of more surfaces for wind power plants. With new building, change and reorganization a standard for solar plants is to be legally specified, likewise with parking lot roofings and other structural plants such as noise protection walls.
In traffic the federations urge a general speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour on country roads and 120 kilometers per hour on highways. Climate-damaging subsidies such as distance allowance and company car privilege are to be eliminated, and the purchase of electric cars is to receive tax breaks. The vehicle tax is to take greater account of CO2 emissions, and transport infrastructure is to be "consistently aligned with environmental and climate criteria."
CO-2 pricing is to be expanded more quickly
In the buildings sector, an "increase in the energy refurbishment rate to at least three percent per year" is to be achieved. The building stock should thus reach the Efficiency House 55 standard on average by 2045. Climate-friendly construction and also the insulation of buildings are to be promoted more strongly, and in apartment buildings the costs are to be shared between tenants, landlords and the state according to the one-third model. Starting from 2045 only renewable is to be heated, oil heatings starting from immediately and gas heatings starting from 2025 no more to be installed.
Further demands concern the ranges industry and agriculture. The CO2 pricing is to be expanded faster than previously planned, but "from 2024 at the latest, mandatory with the introduction of a climate money." The background to the statement is the opinion of the Expert Council for Climate Issues on August 22, which had classified the government's climate protection program as insufficient and not in line with the Climate Protection Act.
The declaration is supported by the umbrella organizations Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR) and Klima-Allianz, the environmental associations Nabu, BUND, Greenpeace, Germanwatch, WWF and numerous other environmental associations, the Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD), church institutions as well as Arbeiterwohlfahrt and other social organizations.
Author: Claus-Detlef Grossmann
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