Status: 11/24/2021 7:30 a.m.
The Greens’ condition for participating in a coalition was that the future government must deliver on climate protection. In the meantime, the party apparently sees this fulfilled. The conclusion of the negotiations with the SPD and FDP seems near.
The negotiations to form the first traffic light coalition at the federal level are nearing completion. After consultations with the leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP, the so-called main negotiating group of the three parties is now to meet in Berlin.
In advance, the Greens were satisfied with the agreements on climate policy. The coalition agreement with the SPD and FDP should make it clear that climate protection will run through all areas as a cross-cutting issue – from traffic to industry, construction and housing to agriculture, the dpa news agency reported, citing the party.
After years of standstill, a “new dynamic” is being set in motion to bring Germany onto the 1.5-degree path. “That was essential for the Greens.” What is meant is the goal anchored in the Paris Climate Agreement of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.
Massive expansion of renewable energies
Members of the Bundestag Kevin Kühnert (SPD) and Stefan Gelbhaar (Greens) said at an association meeting the day before that the contract could probably be presented this Wednesday. According to the green negotiating groups, the massive expansion of renewable energies from wind and sun is to be determined in this, in order to achieve a faster coal phase-out – de facto for the year 2030. So far, the climate-damaging coal-fired power generation in Germany is to be ended by 2038 at the latest.
Billions in aid were therefore decided for structural change in the coal regions. With the expansion of renewable energies, their share of electricity consumption should climb to 80 percent in 2030, according to the Greens. This should succeed with faster planning and approval procedures and a solar obligation.
More space for wind energy
Two percent of the land area should be available for the expansion of wind energy on land; the capacities for offshore wind energy are to be increased to at least 30 gigawatts by 2030. In 2030, 50 percent of the heat is to be generated in a climate-neutral manner. So far, the goal of politics has been to increase the share of green electricity in electricity consumption to 65 percent by 2030.
Last year, according to industry information, renewable energies had a share of around 45 percent. In terms of capacity for offshore wind energy, an output of 20 gigawatts has been planned by 2030 – the new goal of the traffic light coalition would be a significant increase.
So far, there have been many obstacles to expanding wind power. This includes too little space, long planning processes, many lawsuits and conflicts with species and nature conservation. The goal of two percent of the country’s area has not yet been achieved by a long way. As emerged from a report submitted in October by a federal-state cooperation committee, as of December 31, 2020, a legally valid area for onshore wind energy of 0.70 to 0.85 percent was available nationwide.
15 million e-cars by 2030
In addition, according to information from the Greens, a future traffic light government wants to bring at least 15 million fully electric cars onto German roads by 2030. In around ten years there should be no more approvals for fossil combustion engines in Germany. According to the dpa, the corresponding passage literally states: “According to the proposals of the European Commission, only CO2-neutral vehicles will be permitted in the transport sector in Europe in 2035 – this will have an effect earlier in Germany.”
The Federal Environment Agency considers a stock of around 16 million electric vehicles to be necessary by 2030 in order to achieve the climate protection target in the Climate Protection Act, as it was called in a recently presented concept. This provides numerous suggestions so that climate goals can be achieved in transport. “When it comes to climate protection, traffic is heading in the wrong direction,” said the President of the Federal Environment Agency, Dirk Messner, of the dpa. “Without massive efforts there, too, there will be nothing overall with climate protection.”
All traffic projects to the test
The SPD, Greens and FDP also want to review the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030, which was adopted in 2016, from an ecological point of view and with the participation of environmental associations. Unnecessary projects or projects that are particularly damaging from an environmental point of view could be canceled, reported the editorial network Germany, citing negotiating groups. Accordingly, this agreement goes back to the Greens.
The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 was adopted by the cabinet in 2016 and sets the course for transport policy for the next ten to 15 years in road construction, in the maintenance or new construction of railway lines and waterways. The approximately 1000 projects are graded according to urgency. The plan comprises around 269 billion euros, of which around 98 billion euros are earmarked for expansion and new construction.
Chancellor election in St. Nicholas week
The coalition negotiations between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP should be concluded this week. The agreement must then be approved by the committees. To this end, the SPD and FDP are planning party conferences on the first weekend in December, and the Greens are planning a member survey.
The plan is for SPD candidate Olaf Scholz to be elected Chancellor in the Bundestag in the week of December 6th and for the new government to take up work.