Grafrath is to become a climate commune.
Citizens have been working on this for some time.
Now the local council should promise its support in a fundamental decision.
But that was postponed for now.
Grafrath -
Monika Glammert-Zwölfer (Greens) started the initiative for the climate community more than a year ago, in September 2020. Since then, citizens have also been involved in the form of a workshop. In the next step, working groups are to be formed on October 27th at 7 p.m. in the Bürgerstadl. These should deal with the specific measures that the municipality can contribute to climate change.
In order to advertise the working groups, the local council should make it clear in its most recent meeting in a fundamental decision that it stands behind the initiative.
Gerald Kurz (CSU) was formulated too generally.
"We at the CSU would rather wait for the workshop and then take concrete decisions," said the parliamentary group spokesman.
At the moment, he doesn't see anything in the initiative that he can support.
Set a sign
Glammert-Zwölfer, on the other hand, emphasized that “now is the right time to send a message that the community stands behind the initiative”.
Especially since no results on concrete measures are to be expected at the event on October 27th.
On this day, it is all about finding actors who want to get involved in the working groups.
"For this we need a signal from the local council."
Hartwig Hagenguth (BfG) pointed out that the municipality had already made several fundamental decisions on the subject of climate protection.
You can do that again here, "in order to then work out specific measures".
A decision in principle is a first step to promote the voluntary commitment of the citizens.
General places only
Sepp Heldeisen (SPD) showed no understanding for the long debate, especially since the resolution only formulated absolute generalities.
“I wonder how you can discuss this for so long and not follow it,” he said.
Especially since in view of the objective for the event on October 27th, nothing will change in the formulation of the resolution.
In order for the citizens to receive a positive signal from the local council, Glammert-Zwölfer and Mayor Markus Kennerknecht (non-party) attached great importance to achieving the broadest possible consensus in the Grafrath committee.
But Gerald Kurz made it clear that the CSU parliamentary group could not be won over to a decision at this point in time.
In the end, the decision was therefore postponed to the meeting on November 14th with 8: 4 votes.
All municipal council groups, meanwhile, agreed to send a representative to the event in the Bürgerstadel.
Also interesting:
wind turbines a success - but expansion is stalling
Comment: It is time to act
The Council debate felt a bit like being in a film.
More precisely, as in Monty Python's Jesus satire "The Life of Brian".
In one scene there, a group is debating and emphasizing that one finally has to act because the time for discussions is over - only to then re-initiate a fundamental debate about a specific action.
The situation is similar with climate protection.
The discussion time has run out.
This is not only shown by the new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which indicates that the climate target of a maximum of 1.5 degrees global warming can no longer be met.
The Federal Constitutional Court has also issued a clear judgment.
The fact that a parliamentary group in the local council is now preventing a simple decision of principle in support of climate protection efforts and, as with Monty Python, wants to continue the discussion sends a devastating signal.
One can only hope that the citizens will not be put off by this and still take part in large numbers in the working groups on the climate community.
Because it is time to act.
(Andreas Daschner)
