Greens put forward plans: Billions in funds for climate impacts


Status: 07/29/2021 6:53 p.m.

Stronger dykes, more space for rivers and less surface sealing: The Greens want to arm cities against flood disasters with a 25 billion package. Other parties reacted skeptically to this “climate protection”.

By Alfred Schmit, ARD capital studio

You can tell from the Greens’ new plans that co-party leader Robert Habeck was once agriculture minister. The new plans form the second part of the green package for more climate and disaster protection.

Numerous details concern the operation and planning of cities, watercourses and agricultural areas. They provide for stronger dykes and dams and more space for rivers and streams so that flooding does not occur immediately in the event of heavy rain. In their current paper, too, the Greens are calling for less surface sealing through buildings, roads and parking lots.

Climate impact protection

Habeck added to the demands of co-party leader Annalena Baerbock from the beginning of the week. He chose a new word for it – in addition to climate protection. “I would say it’s climate protection,” he said. “So a precautionary policy.” In this context, he spoke of three areas: health policy, re-planning and renewing infrastructure and giving nature more space.

“We want to provide the funds for this in a climate impact security fund,” said Habeck. This should support the people. “Just as we have to convert our houses to make them climate-neutral, we also want to make them climate-safe.”

Government funding for insurance tariffs?

According to the Greens, 25 billion euros should flow for this over the next ten years. The federal government should provide the money, and the municipalities should implement it on site. The natural hazards insurance, for example against floods, should become the standard from the perspective of the Greens – possibly with state funding for some insurance tariffs.

From Habeck’s point of view, the paper closes a gap between climate protection policy and disaster control. The central question is how Germany can organize aid if the disaster is there. Since global warming is coming, it must be slowed down. “How do we ensure that the extremes don’t become too extreme. How do we ensure that they don’t turn into catastrophes.”

“Approach is going in the wrong direction”

The other parties reacted skeptically to the new plans from the green party headquarters. The climate policy spokesman for the FDP, Lukas Köhler, misses details of the financing and better networking of the federal and state authorities: “I believe that the approach of the Greens is going in the wrong direction,” he says. From the perspective of the liberals, it is important that Germany bundles and concentrates its adaptation strategy, the issues of digitization, flood protection and disaster control much better.

On the left, it was said that they share the Greens’ assessment that investments in coping with the effects of climate change are necessary. To finance this, subsidies for conventional energies should be dismantled. In contrast, the AfD accused the Greens of exploiting the flood disaster for plans to de-industrialize Germany. However, it proposes similar measures: less surface sealing and a halt to the development of meadows and fields.

The CDU refers to its election program, which has parallels to the Greens’ demands: For example, an expansion of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, modern design of warning systems or the establishment of a national reserve for health protection. Next week the Greens want to present an immediate program for more climate protection, which should be implemented quickly in the event of government participation.

Greens present climate protection package

Alfred Schmit, ARD Berlin, July 29, 2021 5:33 p.m.



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