Law
Constitutional Court: Climate protection vote can take place
The new climate protection law is intended to help Germany achieve its goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. photo
© Stefan Sauer/dpa
Thomas Heil’s application against the adoption of a new climate protection law was rejected. Now nothing stands in the way of the planned reforms. However, environmental groups criticize this.
The adoption of the reformed one planned for this Friday Climate protection law can take place. The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe rejected an application for an interim injunction, as the highest German court in Karlsruhe announced. The issuance of an interim injunction is rejected because the application in the main matter is currently inadmissible from the outset.
With the decision, Germany’s highest court is responding to an application by CDU member of the Bundestag Thomas Heilmann. Heilmann applied for an interim order on Wednesday. He justified the step, similar to his successful proceedings against the heating law last year, with an “extremely shortened consultation time” and also with a feared weakening of climate protection. He argued that his right as a member of parliament “to receive advice and to participate equally as a member in the formation of parliamentary decisions” had been violated.
Environmental groups criticize the planned reform
The reform of the Climate Protection Act provides for fundamental changes. The following applies so far: If individual sectors such as transport or buildings fail to meet legal requirements for CO2 emissions, the responsible ministries must submit emergency programs in the following year. With the reform, compliance with the climate targets should no longer be checked retroactively by sector, but rather with a view to the future, over a period of several years and across sectors. If it becomes apparent in two consecutive years that the federal government is not on track to meet its climate target for 2030, it will have to make adjustments. Environmental associations criticize this as a softening and Heilmann also fears a weakening of climate protection with far-reaching consequences.
Greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045
By 2030, Germany must reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65 percent compared to 1990. Greenhouse gases are expected to fall by 88 percent by 2040 and greenhouse gas neutrality should be achieved by 2045 – so no more greenhouse gases will be emitted or sequestered again.
Last summer, the Federal Constitutional Court stopped the adoption of the Heating Act (Building Energy Act), for which Heilmann also criticized the tight schedule. The law was then passed by the Bundestag in September. “I consider the procedural errors to be even more serious than they were with the heating law,” Heilmann explained on Wednesday. Although the legal text is much less extensive, the complexity of the questions arising from the climate protection reform is significantly higher.