On Tuesday, the Bavarian state parliament will once again discuss a law that should at least slow down climate change. Even before that, the largest opposition faction did not mince words.
Munich (dpa / lby) - According to the Greens in the state parliament, the new edition of Bavaria's climate protection law has the same errors and shortcomings as the first version. "In the entire law and also in the climate protection program, no binding measures are stored as to how the climate goals are to be achieved," said the energy policy spokesman for the Greens, Martin Stümpfig, the German Press Agency in Munich.
"How a doubling of renewable energies is to be achieved by 2030 is not said," says Stümpfig. The state government's announcement was not set out in either the climate law or the associated program. There is no clear specification for an area designation for wind power and open space photovoltaics via regional planning.
Stümpfig's conclusion is clear: "After another wasted year for climate protection, the state government is finally presenting its long-awaited climate law. It hardly differs from the law from 2020 and even less from the draft from November 2021." The climate law remains non-binding at most, new relevant articles are not included. Without a clear timetable, however, all areas would be the same as with the 100 wind turbines in the state forest. These have been part of the climate protection program since 2019, "so far, locations have not even been found. There is still great potential in the wind and sun sectors."
Last Tuesday, the cabinet passed the new climate protection law; more than half a year after the Council of Ministers had already passed the amendment for the first time. The state parliament is to deal with the amendment for the first time on Tuesday. The background to the new edition is a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court. More than a year ago, the court criticized the federal climate protection law and called for improvements to more binding targets for reducing emissions. As a result, Bavaria also announced an amendment.
The state government emphasized again and again that they had deliberately presented the law in a lean manner and without specific information. In this way, it is avoided that it has to be amended regularly. The measures for climate protection are therefore listed in the climate protection program, which was presented at the same time. In total, it contains 150 points, for example to protect the moors and forests or to build e-charging stations for cars.
The Greens not only lack the commitment to implementation, "Bayern is again making an extra sausage for the goals and calculating them per capita," says Stümpfig. The federal goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 65 percent by 2030, which the CSU had decided in 2021, will also be undermined.
According to Stümpfig, the climate law does not list any specifications, goals or concepts for the largest area of greenhouse gas emissions, heat. The climate protection program does contain several well-sounding detailed programs such as "pilot projects for decarbonization". The measure has been planned since 2019, but has so far been planned with zero euros in the budget. Relevant measures were also lacking in the second major area, mobility. For example, there is no trace of a timetable for the targeted expansion of public transport.
Regarding the measures listed in the climate protection program, Stümpfig said: "There are no relevant new measures with a clear implementation plan." The vast majority was already included in the climate protection program in 2019. "The number has increased - but the new measures are even more questionable than the old ones."
"The trickery and deception continues - but the climate cannot be deceived. The heat waves are increasing, the drought is increasing, the damage is increasing massively. It's just pathetic to continue working here with such sleight of hand and to avoid responsibility ", stressed Stumpig.
But the Green politician also finds something worthy of praise in the draft - such as the goal of climate neutrality by 2040. "But the praise is immediately diminished, since there are no binding measures in the entire law or in the climate protection program that could ensure the achievement of the target," said he. The state government could not be serious about climate protection - "that can be read in every line of the miserable draft".
