The Greens are entering the federal election campaign with an ambitious climate program. It provides a right of veto for laws that are not compliant with the Paris Climate Agreement. If the Greens have their way, the energy transition should be made socially just.
In the event of government participation, the Greens want to create a new climate protection ministry with a right of veto. It should be able to prevent laws that are not compliant with the Paris climate agreement. This is a central point of an “immediate climate protection program” that Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock and her co-party leader Robert Habeck presented on Tuesday in the Biesenthaler Becken nature reserve north of Berlin.
The Greens also want to significantly accelerate the expansion of wind and solar energy. The coal phase-out is to be brought forward to 2030 – so far this has been planned for 2038 at the latest. Investments in rail, local public transport and cycling are to be increased as early as the 2022 federal budget. Essential points of the “immediate program” are already in the election manifesto of the Greens.
Social balance in the energy transition
In addition, in the event of government participation, the Greens want to initiate a socially just energy transition and invest additional billions in climate protection. With an amendment to the Fuel Emissions Trading Act, the Greens want to bring the CO2 price for heat and transport up to 60 euros from 2023. In return, a social balance should be created. To this end, the income from the CO2 price is to be given back to the people in full – in the form of energy money, which is to be paid out annually per capita, as well as a reduction in the EEG surcharge.
The Greens want to raise the minimum wage by law to twelve euros, “so that people with low incomes in particular are not overwhelmed by rising prices for individual goods in terms of climate protection,” as the immediate program says. In addition, the party advocates a new qualification short-time work allowance, which enables companies to keep their employees in the company in phases of transformation and to provide them with sustainable qualifications.
According to the will of the Greens, a climate bonus fund should support all those “for whom the path to climate neutrality is financially difficult to manage”. The aim is to support the installation of heat pumps in homes or the purchase of an emission-free vehicle.
Immediate program as a “task of the century”
The Greens want to further develop the Building Energy Act by improving the energetic standards for new buildings as a first step. There should be exceptions for listed buildings. “In addition, we will ensure that oil heating systems are no longer allowed to be installed,” the immediate program continues. For the building renovation, there is also to be a funding program for two million highly efficient heat pumps by 2025.
According to the Paris Climate Agreement, global warming is to be limited to well below two degrees compared to the pre-industrial era and everything is to be done to stop the temperature rise at 1.5 degrees. “Over five years ago, Germany committed itself to doing everything to get the climate crisis under control and to get on the 1.5 degree path of the Paris Climate Agreement,” says the immediate program. “But you can only achieve great goals if you also do something for them.”
Overcoming the climate crisis is described in the seven-page “immediate program” as a “task of the century”. “In order not to lose any more time, we want to immediately launch a comprehensive program with concrete legislative initiatives that will spark new dynamism, realize rapid savings and set the course.”
“Will decide on the biggest climate protection package that has ever existed”
“The next federal government must focus all its strength and the work of all departments on mastering this task of the century,” says the immediate program. “In the cabinet we will pass the largest climate protection package that has ever existed.” The Greens want to turn the coming federal budget into a “climate protection budget”. To this end, an additional 15 billion euros are to be spent on climate protection.
In order to streamline and accelerate coordination processes within the ministries, a “climate task force” of the federal government is to meet on a weekly basis for the first 100 days. The lead for this should lie with the climate protection ministry.
Renewable energies are the linchpin for more climate protection and a competitive industry. However, their expansion is currently going far too slowly, they say: “We need more green and cheap electricity as quickly as possible in order to reduce climate-damaging emissions, especially in the transport, industry and heating sectors.” Therefore, an “expansion offensive” of renewable energies should be started immediately after the federal election.
In surveys, the Greens have long been in second place behind the Union at around 20 percent. It is therefore quite possible that they will be involved in talks about forming a government after the general election on September 26th.
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