OVG Berlin rules on lawsuits for more climate protection
The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg will decide on Thursday (09:00) on complaints by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and BUND, which accuse the German government of being too lax on climate protection. Specifically, the two environmental associations are demanding additional immediate measures to reduce harmful greenhouse gases from traffic and buildings. These are produced, for example, when driving with a combustion engine or when heating.
The Higher Administrative Court heard the case last week. It also examined the question of whether the environmental organizations are entitled to file a lawsuit at all. The content of the case concerns a provision in Section 8 of the current Climate Protection Act: If the amount of greenhouse gases permitted for a sector is exceeded in one year, the responsible ministry must take countermeasures with an immediate action program. This was the case in the transport and buildings sectors in 2022. From the point of view of environmental associations, however, the countermeasures are not enough.
The Climate Protection Act stipulates a 65 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. A good 40 percent reduction was achieved last year. Germany is to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. The traffic light coalition wants to change the law. According to this, the sector targets should no longer be decisive, but the overall reduction. This has not yet been decided.
The German government's climate protection processes have been critiqued by environmental organizations, who argue that they are not stringent enough. This dispute revolves around the implementation of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from traffic and buildings, which contribute significantly to these gases due to activities like driving with combustion engines and heating.
The ongoing court case, led by the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg, questions the role of the German government in enforcing climate protection laws, specifically in relation to the Climate Protection Act and its provision for immediate action programs when greenhouse gas limits are exceeded.
Source: www.dpa.com
