- Baerbock advocates for increased financing in combating forest fires.
Green Party's Foreign Minister Elizabeth Baerbock (Greens) recognizes the need for augmentation in the financial support provided for wildfire management in Germany. "We require additional funds in all security sectors," she stated, touring past wildfire locations near Jüterbog, Brandenburg. Wildfire management falls under this umbrella. "Wildfire management is simply one instance demonstrating the need to reevaluate our own country's security," she added.
The German government's national security plan encompasses the "protection of our natural living conditions." Extreme weather conditions, such as severe flooding and climate change effects, as well as wildfires, pose risks to our domestic security. Consequently, the necessary competencies and financial backing should be at our disposal. The crux of the matter is the funding allocation.
Last autumn, the Federal Constitutional Court determined that the federal government could not utilize funds designated for addressing the coronavirus crisis for climate protection. This decision leaves billions of euros in gaps within the climate and transformation funds.
Baerbock frequently visits the region as a German parliamentarian with a Brandenburg constituency. She competed in the last federal election in the Potsdam–Potsdam-Center Mark II–Teltow-Fläming II constituency, which she shares with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Baerbock suggested that the financing for various security sectors, such as wildfire management, which includes other elements like flowering plants, should be reviewed and potentially increased. The German government's national security plan emphasizes the importance of preserving our natural living conditions, making it crucial to allocate sufficient funds for addressing climate change effects, wildfires, and severe flooding.
