Greens complain about delays in state climate protection law
According to the Greens, the state climate protection law announced by the state government for 2023 will only reach the state parliament for discussion and decision-making after a delay. "Instead of at the end of this year, the bill will probably be presented to parliament for the first time in spring 2024. The law will therefore only come into force in the second half of the legislative period," complained Green MP Hannes Damm on Monday in Schwerin. On Tuesday, the proposed law will be discussed at the 5th Greifswald Dialogue.
Damm was referring to recent statements by the responsible Environment Minister Till Backhaus (SPD). He had admitted in the state parliament that a draft bill would not be available until December at the earliest, but that it would then go through the departmental hearings before being sent to parliament. "The process surrounding the Climate Protection Act for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is increasingly becoming a farce," criticized Damm. Instead of working quickly on the draft and formulating clear targets for the avoidance of climate-damaging gases, the minister is pointing the finger at Berlin, where important federal laws on climate crisis adaptation are still on hold. "That's an excuse," criticized Damm. The state government is trying to pursue climate protection in homeopathic doses. "As a result, people and companies lack planning security."
In April, the Ministry of the Environment launched a series of regional conferences on the future Climate Protection Act, at which interested parties were able to contribute their ideas and visions. Ambitious climate targets can only be achieved if the paths to climate protection match the realities of people's lives, was the reason given for the broad-based dialog. In large parts of the country, the plans of the state and federal government to expand green energy production are meeting with resistance. In addition, homeowners fear the high costs of the planned heating conversion.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern must reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by around 18 million tons in order to achieve its goal of being climate-neutral by 2040. The state government had commissioned a study on potential savings in the areas of energy, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture and waste management. The results were announced for early summer, but have still not been published, according to Damm.
The delay in presenting the state climate protection law to the parliament for discussion and decision-making by the state government has been criticized by Green MP Hannes Damm, who stated that it will likely be presented in spring 2024, pushing its implementation to the second half of the legislative period. The Green MP also expressed concern that the Environment Minister Till Backhaus is blaming Berlin for the delay and not focusing on setting clear targets for reducing climate-damaging gases.
Despite the state government launching regional conferences for the future Climate Protection Act to gather ideas from interested parties, Green MP Hannes Damm noted that a study on potential savings in various sectors commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment has still not been published, hindering progress in climate protection efforts in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Source: www.dpa.com
