威力彩玩法

After almost two years of crisis management during the coronavirus pandemic and Russia鈥檚 ongoing war against Ukraine, Germany鈥檚 government coalition is faced with the complicated reality of making tough climate policy decisions as its term nears the halfway point this autumn.

In light of a weakening economy, low approval ratings and surging poll numbers for the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), the government is struggling to actualise its own aspirations: modernising and making climate-neutral the world鈥檚 fourth-largest economy by 2045. Or 鈥淕etting the necessary innovations off the ground to secure Germany鈥檚 prosperity and role in the world, and stop man-made climate change at the same time,鈥� as chancellor Olaf Scholz put it in . He reassured journalists that the coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Green Party and Free Democrats (FDP) had 鈥渘ot forgotten this task鈥�, despite the crisis-laden first half of the legislative term.

鈥淕ermany is in the middle of the transformation to climate neutrality and has great support for this process from the population,鈥� says Dirk Messner, one of the country鈥檚 leading voices on sustainable development and climate action, and president of the German Environment Agency (UBA).

Messner told 威力彩玩法 the governing coalition had presented 鈥�a quite ambitious energy and climate protection programme鈥� at the beginning of its term, but 鈥渕ust now get its act together and show the same vigour it did during the pandemic or in its response to the war against Ukraine.鈥�

Energy and climate policy has likely never played a bigger role for a government in Germany, and, in summer 2023, it is marked by contrast between acceleration and stumbling blocks: the government introduced a raft of law reforms to speed up renewables expansion and support industry鈥檚 move to climate neutrality. The country鈥檚 solar sector is recovering with steadily increasing new installations, while oil majors BP and Total Energies pledged to pay billions of euros for the right to build offshore wind farms in the North and Baltic seas 鈥� joining other global businesses鈥� major clean tech investment announcements for Germany. At the same time, public appetite for specific policy measures has soured as energy prices reached record highs during the energy crisis. This is only worsening as the effect of climate measures on people鈥檚 lives is increasingly felt, and while the coalition has struggled to agree on key climate measures like the phase out of fossil fuel heating, the reform of the climate law or proposals to reduce transport emissions.

鈥淭he government is apparently entering a third phase after the coronavirus pandemic and the war [in Ukraine],鈥� political scientist Karl-Rudolf Korte . This being 鈥渋ts 鈥榤odernisation鈥� or 鈥榩rogress鈥� project.鈥� The three-party alliance would finally be able to put focus on implementing its 2021 coalition agreement, in which it had promised to 鈥渄are for more progress鈥� and modernise the economy to future-proof the country.

After the period of multiple crises, in which the government still enjoyed , government policy-making on issues like migration or fossil fuel heating phase-out in German homes 鈥渋s much more immediately polarising,鈥� said Korte.

A 鈥� a paper which has attacked the government鈥檚 energy and climate policy for months 鈥� showed that 76 percent of Germans are worried about their future due to climate change, with 46 percent saying that the government is acting too slowly on climate. By contrast, 25 percent said the government was acting an appropriate pace, and 19 percent said it was acting too quickly.

The annual Social Sustainability Barometer survey, conducted by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) just as the heating law controversy emerged in early March, found that, while support for climate action remained high, many people were dissatisfied with the political implementation of the energy (53%) and transport transitions (38%). At the same time, the survey found that Germans generally underestimate fellow citizens鈥� support for climate action, such as tolerance for building wind turbines near their homes. This may give policymakers the false impression that there is not enough support to implement the necessary measures, the researchers warned.

Other surveys paint an even bleaker picture of government performance. Market research firm the Rheingold Institute conducted , commissioned by the Identity Foundation. Paul Kohtes, head of the foundation, said the findings could be described as 鈥渄ramatic鈥� and showed 鈥渁 deep resignation towards politics and our future possibilities.鈥� Eighty-six percent of respondents agreed with the statement that 鈥減oliticians must develop overarching solutions to all the existing challenges鈥�, such as the climate crisis, inflation, social inequality, because these crises cannot be dealt individual citizens. However, three quarters (73%) agreed 鈥渙ur politicians have no idea of what they are doing,鈥� with only 34 percent saying they trust the government and its policies.

A that most people who said they would currently vote for the AfD would do so because they are disappointed by the other parties (67%), while only a third was truly convinced by the AfD (32%). "The constant squabbling between the ruling parties is causing people to lose orientation and trust in the government,鈥� the pollster鈥檚 Stefan Merz . Migration topped the list of topics which influenced people鈥檚 choice to support the AfD, with 65 percent saying it played an important part. Energy, environment and climate policy came in a distant second (47%).

UBA鈥檚 Messner called on the country鈥檚 parties to realign the debate: 鈥淲e have to return to a situation where politicians make clear that the entire democratic spectrum 鈥� which in our country is over 80 percent 鈥� is arguing about the right climate action instruments, but not about the goal of climate policies.鈥�

The biggest opposition party in parliament, former chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 conservative CDU/CSU alliance, has meanwhile not benefitted from the decreasing support for the government. The party has as the alternative to the ruling coalition, and CDU leader Friedrich Merz , while for an interview in which he suggested he was open to working with the AfD in local governments.

Chancellor Scholz the rise of the far right to the worries people are feeling about their future 鈥渋n 10, 20 and 30 years鈥�, arguing that the coalition鈥檚 transition policies are necessary to reassure citizens that 鈥渋t will turn out well for each and every one of us.鈥� Scholz said that he was confident the AfD would 鈥渘ot do much differently鈥� in the next federal election than in the 2021 vote ( in 2021).

During the heating law dispute, economy minister Habeck said that he misjudged the change in public mood over the winter 2022/2023. In the throes of the energy crisis, despite high prices, citizens largely supported the fast-tracked, often large legislative changes on energy policy, from speeding up renewables expansion to building up a domestic import infrastructure for liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, as the country managed to avoid a severe gas shortage 鈥� also helped by a mild winter 鈥� this changed.

鈥淲e continued our 2022 working mentality for too long,鈥� . 鈥淲e got through the winter all right,鈥� and with all that Germans had to go through before 鈥� such as the war in Ukraine and high prices 鈥� 鈥渢he [heating] legislation in the spring was the straw that broke the camel's back.鈥�

about developments labelled as 鈥榃ende鈥� (turning points) 鈥� from the 鈥榋eitenwende鈥� of Russia鈥檚 war against Ukraine to the 鈥楨nergiewende鈥� to push fossil fuels and nuclear out of the energy mix 鈥� journalist Nikolaus Kurmayer warned that this 鈥渄angerous obsession鈥� with the term 鈥榃ende鈥� could alienate many citizens who are wary of such sharp policy turns. 鈥淎ppetite for change is at an all-time low,鈥� he wrote.

With all the public controversy over the heating law and staff in the economy ministry, and the , and low public approval ratings, it is also worth looking at what the government has actually achieved on energy and climate policy-making.

鈥淭he traffic light's track record is better than its public perception,鈥� writes Michael Schlieben in .

First, the coalition manoeuvred through the energy crisis. Just months after Scholz took office, Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, pushing the chancellor which mostly upended the government鈥檚 plan to steadily work through its energy and climate agenda. Instead, the coalition needed to deal with high energy prices, the threat of severe gas shortages, and a looming recession. Politicians worried about the threat of popular protests or even , that solidarity among citizens could be pushed to the limit with a hard, cold winter.

However, over the course of 2022, the government managed to secure enough alternative gas supply, partially through the rapid build-up of domestic import infrastructure for liquefied natural gas (LNG). It also introduced emergency legislation in record time, and presented several relief packages for citizens and businesses. Germany thus managed to avoid a harsh economic downturn, and the feared 鈥溾�� did not materialise. Mild temperatures certainly helped too, as demand for gas to heat homes was reduced.

In his , chancellor Scholz emphasised the opportunity the crisis presented to transition away from fossil fuels for the sake of domestic energy security. 鈥淭he need to act very quickly to avoid a cold winter and a long-lasting economic crisis [鈥�] has also considerably accelerated the pace of [the climate-friendly modernisation] and, as I perceived it, also increased the consensus that this must now be done at great speed,鈥� Scholz told journalists in the room, speaking of his coalitions achievement in meeting the moment with the necessary speed.

The list of climate and energy policies presented by the government and decided by parliament since the coalition took office is long. The reforms form part of the comprehensive climate action programme meant to get the country back on track to reaching climate targets, of which the economy ministry presented a draft in early summer, after months of delay.

The coalition raised renewables expansion targets, aiming to double onshore wind and more than triple solar PV and offshore wind power capacity from today鈥檚 levels to ensure renewable energy covers at least 80 percent of electricity consumption by 2030. It introduced legislation to ensure sufficient land is available for renewable expansion and to speed up planning and permitting procedures for these facilities and the necessary power lines. It to finance renewables expansion from the federal budget, and launched a pioneering subsidy system to support industry in slashing emissions. Yet, the controversial heating law and the 鈥� also disputed 鈥� climate law reform, are yet to be agreed upon, which is likely to happen after the summer recess.

鈥淭he pace has picked up in our country, and it will be accelerating more and more,鈥� Scholz added.