Moors, important for the climate, dry out.
Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) wants to avoid agriculturally used moors in the counter-strategy.
Berlin - environmental associations are not enthusiastic: The GroKo failed with the plan to present a strategy for better protection of the German moors before the federal elections.
The environmental department, headed by Svenja Schulze (SPD), announced on Friday that despite intensive efforts, it had not been possible to come to an agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Ministry of the Environment announced that it is now planning “to develop its own departmental strategy in the short term”.
The Ministry of Agriculture, headed by Julia Klöckner (CDU), rejected the criticism.
Moors in Germany: Klöckner and Schulze ministries in dispute
The draft of the peatland protection strategy was drawn up by the environmental department in accordance with an agreement in the coalition agreement.
Because of Klöckner's resistance, the project must now "unfortunately be viewed as a failure".
This is all the more regrettable because the importance of peatland protection for climate protection is now widely recognized, explained the Schulze department.
The Klöckner department, for its part, accused the environmental department of blocking.
The demand of the agricultural department to orient the peatland strategy primarily to natural peatlands and not to those in agricultural use was therefore controversial.
It was pointed out that there are other programs such as the peat reduction strategy for this.
Peatland protection strategy: Klöckner Ministry insists on the interests of farmers
"Only a peatland protection strategy that is supported by those affected on site can be a successful strategy," explained the Ministry of Agriculture, referring to the interests of affected farmers as well as municipalities and associations that should be included in a strategy for agricultural peatlands.
“Protecting peat soils more and preserving them in the long term is an important concern of our Federal Ministry,” assured the agricultural department.
Green Künast attacks CDU politician Klöckner: "climate foul"
Renate Künast, a member of the Green Parliament, sharply criticized Klöckner.
She accused the Minister of Agriculture of a "renewed climate foul".
"Once again, she apparently thinks that she is representing the interests of agriculture with her blockade, but the opposite is the case," said Künast of the AFP news agency.
"Moors are the largest carbon store in Germany, which is why we urgently need effective measures," emphasized Künast.
An end to the use of peat is necessary.
The moors would have to be rewetted quickly and comprehensively with a large-scale effective renaturation program.
Deutsche Moore also in the green “immediate climate protection program” from Baerbock
The Greens chairmen Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck had previously presented their party's immediate climate program in a Brandenburg moorland to underline the importance of the moors.
The environmental umbrella organization
Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR)
spoke of an "irresponsible concession to the agricultural lobby".
Klöckner operates "clientele policy at the expense of nature and the environment", explained DNR managing director Florian Schöne.
Climate protection in Germany: Söder for more moor renovation due to CO2 value
Moor protection is one of the most important climate protection measures in the field of land use policy.
Drained bogs alone are responsible for seven percent of German greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore on a par with annual air traffic in Germany.
Peatlands are considered to be important carbon stores. The federal government had therefore actually announced that it would massively promote their protection and rewetting. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had also announced a renaturation of the moors for his state. These have great potential as natural CO2 stores.
(AFP / frs)
