- Future of the climate advisory board of the state government still open
The Hessian state government has not yet commented specifically on the future and upcoming composition of its Climate Council. A fundamental change in the composition and working methods of the body would require a change in the law, the Ministry of Agriculture in Wiesbaden explained in response to a query from the Green state parliamentary group. "Whether and with what content the legislature will make such a change, the state government cannot yet answer."
Currently, five independent scientists are advising the state government. They were appointed in April 2023 for a period of five years. At that time, Hesse was still governed by a black-green coalition. The new black-red state government wants to expand the Climate Council, according to the coalition agreement, to include representatives of the municipalities, the economy, the trade unions, as well as the environmental and land use associations.
Green sees possible new composition critically
The deputy faction leader of the Greens, Vanessa Gronemann, sees this critically. "That would no longer have anything to do with the original idea of an independent scientific Climate Council," she explained. "The Climate Council, as it was originally established, should use its scientific expertise to review the measures of the state government and set its own impulses."
In a completely new composition with interest groups, there would be no purely scientific perspective. "Black-Red must therefore redefine what the role of the Climate Council should be," Gronemann demanded.
Response of the state government
The Hessian state government's inability to confirm changes to the Climate Council's composition underscores the uncertainty about the future of this body. Regardless, the upcoming black-red government aims to include various stakeholders in the expanded Climate Council, which raises concerns about its scientific independence.
