According to a research done by DIW ECON on behalf of the Climate Neutrality Foundation, none of Germany’s main political parties have a cohesive plan to guarantee the country meets its 2030 emissions reduction target. While there are significant differences between them, and all parties except the far-right AfD support the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the German Institute for Economic Research’s consulting firm, no party explains credibly how Germany should follow its own Climate Action Law. The institution stated, “No election program fulfills the law’s standards.
” The Greens have the most elaborate and feasible plan, according to the academics, while the pro-business FDP’s approach is the least persuasive. While the Free Democrats’ focus on market-based carbon pricing was correct in principle, they lacked actual implementation plans in specific industries. The Left Party came in second, but the DIW stated it “ignores the subject of sufficient CO2-pricing.” The conservative CDU/CSU coalition and the Social Democrats (SPD) are ranked third, according to the consultancy, and are criticized for their frequently imprecise and reluctant attitude, which is “unfit to accomplish the huge emissions reduction objectives in the short time left.”
Climate change would be the defining problem for the future administration, according to DIW researcher Claudia Kemfert. “Rather than conducting phantom discussions,” she added, “the parties must deliver on the actual actions required for successful climate action.”
Many programs had already been finalized by the time parliament agreed on the revision of the Climate Action Law at the end of June, giving parties little chance to align their manifestos with the 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target. Because climate change has become a prominent issue among German voters, all parties’ election manifestos include chapters on energy and climate policy, albeit the amount of detail varies. On September 26, Germans will go to the polls to elect a new parliament and choose who will influence the country’s energy and climate policies for the next four years. Because polls show a close contest, forming the next governing coalition might take many months.