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Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU): "That also makes me a little sad"
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) fears that introducing extensive climate protection measures too quickly could have undesirable effects. She said that at the Ecumenical Kirchentag in Frankfurt in a discussion with the climate activist Luisa Neubauer. If you don't take the people with you, this could mean “that at some point the climate deniers might have a majority,” said Merkel. She definitely doesn't want that. "We saw that the United States of America failed four years at the highest political level under President Trump as an actor, and it is good that they are back now."
Far-reaching climate protection measures can only be implemented with appropriate political majorities, said Merkel - and showed understanding for the frustration of the young generation: »I also understand - and that also makes me a bit sad, of course - that young people say 'Man, we had to go first Go to court before they really give us in government what we are entitled to. '
The Federal Constitutional Court had obliged the legislature to regulate the Climate Protection Act in more detail for the period after 2030.
The Federal Cabinet then decided on a new version on Wednesday.
Merkel does not want an earlier coal exit
Climate activist Luisa Neubauer did not convince Merkel's arguments. "To be honest, I find it very difficult, so to speak, to frame climate protection with a 'but we are in a democracy' subordinate clause," said Neubauer. The question is not how much climate protection can be afforded before democracy is overstretched, but rather: "What do democracies need in the 21st century to get us through these crises, how do they have to be equipped?" : "A more climate crisis won't do our democracies any good either."
Merkel rejected calls for an earlier coal exit in the debate.
Despite the stricter climate protection resolutions, the Federal Chancellor wants the state end date to remain until 2038 at the latest.
"Those affected need a certain degree of reliability on the way to climate neutrality," said Merkel, "I don't want to untangle that again after a year."
In 2020, the federal and state governments agreed to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the latest.
According to some experts, more ambitious climate protection targets cannot be achieved without an earlier coal phase-out.
rai / Reuters / dpa
