BERLIN(National Times)- As much of Europe swelters under a heat wave, a group of German ministers wants to enshrine climate protection in the constitution, a plan that sparked pushback from within the government on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The debate is heating up as climate scientists say global warming is intensifying droughts and wildfires, dropping river levels and threatening harvests in Europe\u2019s biggest economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ministers from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), junior coalition partners to Chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s conservatives, said Berlin must enshrine the need for \u201cclimate adaptation and nature conservation\u201d in the German constitution, known as the Basic Law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They urged changes to urban planning legislation and building codes and new labour laws to add\u00adress working in high temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Rhine River running low and forest fires flaring, Environmental Minister Carsten Schneider said the climate crisis is now a \u201ctangible reality\u201d, but current law limits what his ministry can do in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key figures in Merz\u2019s CDU\/CSU bloc were lukewarm on the idea, warning of potential costs. Klaus Mack, deputy chairman of the CDU\u2019s parliamentary group, rais\u00ad\u00aded concerns about fiscal implications and administrative hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The CDU\u2019s climate policy spokesman, Mark Helfrich, told Politico they \u201care not convinced\u201d by the SPD idea of new joint funding for national, regional and local climate measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, environmental gro\u00adups largely voiced support for the SPD proposal and criticised Merz for not laying out a plan of his own about how to address drought, heat and water shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis summer of extremes shows that Germany is ill-prepared for the heat waves striking us with increasing frequency due to the escalating climate crisis,\u201d Barbara Metz, head of Environ\u00admental Action Germany, told the RND media group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opposition Greens in principle also back the idea, but party chief Felix Banaszak charged that the SPD had previously blocked si\u00ad\u00admilar proposals and warned vote\u00ad\u00adr\u00ad\u00ads: \u201cDon\u2019t fall for these con artists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Climate action \u201cis not rocket science\u201d, he added, demanding more renewable energy, grid and storage capacity to make Germany \u201cindependent of fossil fuel imports\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Merz has faced accusations of backsliding on Germany\u2019s robust climate commitments, as he has sought to bolster the economy by cutting red tape and bringing down energy costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An expert commission in May forecast that Germany would miss its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets, which are anchored in law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Environmental Action Germa\u00ad\u00adny, which successfully sued the pre\u00ad\u00advious administration over an inadequate climate plan, has also brought a lawsuit against the current government\u2019s climate action programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SPD plan would require support from Merz\u2019s conservatives, as amending the Basic Law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. The far-left Die Linke party called it \u201cempty promises\u201d, while the far-right AfD rejected it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BERLIN(National Times)- As much of Europe swelters under a heat wave, a group of German ministers wants to enshrine climate protection in the constitution, a plan that sparked pushback from within the government on Monday. The debate is heating up as climate scientists say global warming is intensifying droughts and wildfires, dropping river levels and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n