Lang speaks out in favor of special climate protection fund
How can the Ampel get out of its budget crisis? Green Party leader Lang can also warm to the idea of a new special fund to finance climate protection projects. Lang rejects cuts in social spending in the "ntv Frühstart".
In the search for the 60 billion euros confiscated by the Federal Constitutional Court, the Greens reject cuts at the expense of the socially disadvantaged. "I believe that would be anything but responsible," said party chairwoman Ricarda Lang in the ntv program "Frühstart". Excluding the wealthy and making the poorer people pay for the consequences of the crisis "would not only be socially weak, but it would also ultimately cause this democracy in this country, i.e. social cohesion, to crumble a little," said Lang, who is in Dubai for the World Climate Conference.
Instead, Lang proposes a new special fund for climate protection measures. "We have already managed to say in Germany that when it comes to financing the Bundeswehr, defense capability, this is so important to us that we work together across party lines to make it possible," said Lang. "I think that could now also be possible again with a special fund for climate protection." The environmental protection organization Greenpeace is calling for a special fund for climate protection amounting to 100 billion euros, more than enough to plug the 60 billion euro budget gap of the coalition government.
Karlsruhe also calls for climate protection
Matthias Miersch, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, also spoke out in favor of a special climate fund in "Frühstart". However, like the Bundeswehr special fund, this would require a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution and therefore also the approval of the CDU and CSU. Greenpeace proposes that the special fund should be financed through an environment-related property levy and the abolition of climate-damaging subsidies. Ricarda Lang's demand is not that specific. For her, a reform of the debt brake would also be a solution - as long as austerity is avoided.
Cuts in climate protection would jeopardize Germany's competitiveness, jobs would be lost and companies would move abroad, said Lang. It was also important to realize that the constitutional judges had not just ruled on a debt brake. Ricarda Lang recalls a Karlsruhe ruling from 2021, according to which the state is obliged to protect the climate. "I don't think you can uphold one ruling and ignore the other."
- As Alliance 90/The Greens and Greenpeace advocate for a special climate protection fund to address the budget crisis, CDU and CSU would need to support this proposal as it requires a constitutional amendment.
- Ricarda Lang, who is currently at the World Climate Conference in Dubai, suggests that a special fund for climate protection projects could be funded in a similar manner as the Bundeswehr special fund, implying cross-party consensus.
- The Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on the debt brake has led Ricarda Lang to suggest a reform of the debt brake, as long as it avoids austerity measures, pointing out that the state has a constitutional obligation to protect the climate.
- Matthias Miersch, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, also supports the idea of a special climate fund, acknowledging that it would require a two-thirds majority for constitutional amendment and the approval of CDU and CSU.
Source: www.ntv.de
