Climate protection in the election campaign: How the long-running issue became taboo

Climate protection is like sex: everyone wants it, but nobody wants to talk about it publicly.

According to a representative survey by the Climate Alliance, half of Germans would like the federal government to do more to protect the climate. Three quarters of those surveyed primarily called for government investments in disaster relief.

Meanwhile, the parties have tacitly declared the topic taboo. In the election programs of the individual parties, climate protection has mutated into a marginal note. And whoever does talk to him doesn’t leave the topic in good stead.

Friedrich Merz questioned the production of green steel so clearly that his statement could be interpreted as a rejection. The Union’s leading candidate received a lot of criticism for this and rowed back again. AfD top candidate Alice Weidel, who wanted to have all wind power plants demolished, was even more drastic. After criticism, she also gave in.

Things were different in 2021: climate change was recognized by almost all parties as the biggest challenge of our time. The climate movement reached its peak under the leadership of Fridays for Futre. Accordingly, climate protection became the number one election campaign issue:

Four years after the climate election, it appears that the issue can no longer be used to win elections. The climate moment seems to be haunting, although the year 2024 ended again with bad news for the planet: Never since weather records began has it been as warm as 2024. Never in the history of weather records has it been as wet as 2024.

In the words of the FDP: There has never been more to do.

However, the past legislative period, which was actually supposed to be dedicated to climate protection, left more construction sites in this respect than it eliminated.

It is an embarrassing result, especially for the self-proclaimed “climate chancellor” Olaf Scholz: the climate targets were missed under his government, and in the transport sector alone they were torn down three times in the current legislature. Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck is being criticized for his heating law. The minister also failed to pass a power plant law that would stimulate the expansion of renewables and prevent a renaissance of coal and nuclear power. The traffic light government’s climate policy left many citizens with the impression that climate protection costs more than it benefits.

Aside from this, the climate movement has suffered setbacks: Fridays for Future received massive criticism when founder Greta Thunberg joined pro-Palestinian protests. Meanwhile, the Last Generation angered thousands of citizens with their sticking actions on the streets.

Climate protection has become taboo. Climate change remains a constant issue. Whether protecting the planet will become sexy again in Germany may not be decided until February 23rd at the earliest.