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Reporting on climate change is one of the major journalistic challenges of our time. The climate crisis is also one of the most important issues of humanity for SPIEGEL. For this reason, we support an international initiative that seeks to take a look this week: "Covering Climate Now" has been initiated by the Columbia Journalism Review and the Canadian newspaper "The Nation", with more than 200 media companies worldwide including the Guardian, El País, La Repubblica, The Times of India, Bloomberg or Vanity Fair. SPIEGEL is dedicating the cover story of the current issue to the climate crisis this week and every day pays special attention to mirror.de
The expectations for the climate package of the Federal Government were huge. First of all, the 20th of September was declared as the German Climate Rescue Day. Accordingly, the tips of the Grand Coalition from early Thursday evening to Friday noon, a negotiating marathon.
Measured by these expectations, the climate package, which the government finally fixed in a 22-page key paper, could only disappoint. But even if you exclude all this drama, can already say: The big litter, which had promised the policy is not the climate package.
The five most important points at a glance.
1. Timid CO2 price
The coalition wants to introduce fixed CO2 prices for the transport and buildings sectors soon. Businesses and consumers therefore have to pay a fixed amount per tonne of CO2 that they cause. It is positive that the government was able to agree on such an award. However, this instrument - the core of the climate package - is extremely timid.
Thus, corresponding certificates should be issued only from 2021, so only in more than a year. The starting price is also just ten euros per tonne of CO2. It should rise to 35 euros by 2025 - which is still not much higher than the current European CO2 price for the energy and industrial sectors.
From 2026, the certificates will then be auctioned at auction - in a corridor between a minimum price of 35 euros and a maximum price of 60 euros. The government reserves the right to check whether this corridor is still appropriate.
Climate economists consider that all too little. Many of them believe that the CO2 price would have to amount to more than 100 euros per tonne by 2030 at the latest in order to develop a sufficient steering effect for climate protection.
2. Strict control of CO2 reduction
Probably the strongest part of the agreement can be found under point C of the key issues paper. It stipulates that the climate targets for each individual area, such as transport, buildings and agriculture, must be adhered to and that the achievement of the goals must be re-examined every year.
Once it is determined that the savings will not be made, the relevant ministry must "follow-up". The responsible ministry must then make proposals "within three months", as it intends to reach the CO2 targets yet.
This is the Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) has prevailed, which had written a similar regulation in the spring in a first draft of the Climate Protection Act. Climate protection in Germany is now binding and no longer just a declaration of intent for the future.
3. Hardly any suggestions for faster expansion of renewable energies
The federal government wants to increase the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption by 2030 to 65 percent. How she wants to achieve that is still unclear. Currently, the expansion of solar systems, which has come from wind turbines even almost completely come to a standstill - partly because the government regulates their new construction on a largely dysfunctional auction system.
In the climate package, the government is now formulating the goal of increasing the expansion amounts. Substantial suggestions on how to do this can not be found in the paper. The currently very strict distance control for wind turbines in Bavaria is retained, for example.
After all, municipalities get a so-called opt-out right, so in future can set smaller minimum distances than specified by their state and also receive a financial interest in the operation of wind turbines. How many municipalities make use of this mechanism in view of the many complaining citizens has yet to be seen.
4. In the transport sector there is still a threat of a CO2 gap
The transport sector is expected to remain the major problem area of German climate protection. Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) was able to prevail with a package of measures, but there are also serious gaps.
For example, company cars with alternative drives are being taxed. With the new purchase it should continue to give premiums, in particular for smaller vehicles under 40,000 euro. But how high the premiums are, you could not agree.
Commuters are tax-exempt, with a flat rate of five cents from the 21st distance kilometer. Many experts consider this problematic because it rewards rewarding for driving long distances - no matter which car.
The railway is to get for the development of its rail network and the purchase of trains one billion euros per year. But that should not be enough to carry all the new passengers who would have to take the train instead of the car or a domestic flight in the future.
5. The climate package is more expensive than expected
The climate package will be more expensive than previously communicated by the government. By 2023, according to information from coalition circles more than 50 billion euros come together. Nevertheless, the government does not want to accept new debts. How this is supposed to fit together is questionable.
However, the key issues paper refers to so-called "green / sustainability bonds", which the Federal Government intends to issue in the future in order to support the "development of sustainable financial markets." Whether it opens a controversial shadow budget, initially remained unclear.
Conclusion
The climate package has not become the "pill-pill" that the Chancellor warned against. However, it is also far from being the great litter longed for by many citizens.
"Politics is what is possible," said Chancellor Angela Merkel in the early afternoon in front of the capital city press. "And what is possible, we have explored."
Whether that will be enough for the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who travel to hundreds of locations in Germany at the same time this Friday is another question.