As much of Europe swelters under a heatwave, a group of German ministers wants to enshrine climate protection in the constitution, a plan that sparked pushback from within the government Monday.<\/p>\n
The debate is heating up at a time climate scientists say global warming is intensifying drought and wildfires, dropping river levels and threatening harvests in Europe’s biggest economy.<\/p>\n
Ministers from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), junior coalition partners to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, are pushing the amendment as a way to better work with local and regional authorities on adapting to climate change.<\/p>\n
The SPD’s four-page proposal, seen by AFP, would enshrine a “joint mission for climate adaptation and nature conservation” in the German constitution, known as the Basic Law.<\/p>\n
The proposal also outlines a national “heat action plan”, changes to urban planning laws and construction codes, and new labour laws to address working in sweltering temperatures.<\/p>\n
But key figures in Merz’s conservative CDU\/CSU bloc are pushing back against the idea, warning about the potential costs.<\/p>\n
Klaus Mack, deputy chairman of the CDU’s parliamentary group, did not reject the idea out of hand but expressed scepticism in remarks to AFP.<\/p>\n
He raised concerns about possible fiscal implications as well as over how responsibilities would be divided between ministries.<\/p>\n
“Only a concrete proposal will show whether amending the Basic Law makes sense,” Mack told AFP.<\/p>\n
The CDU’s climate policy spokesman, Mark Helfrich, told Politico that they “are not convinced” by the idea of new joint funding.<\/p>\n
SPD sources in Berlin said the proposal is intended to prepare for debate at an upcoming retreat for cabinet ministers this month.<\/p>\n
– ‘Ill-prepared’ –<\/p>\n
Environmental groups largely voiced support for the SPD climate proposal and criticised Merz for not laying out a plan of his own about how to address drought, heat and water shortages.<\/p>\n
“This summer of extremes shows that Germany is ill-prepared for the heatwaves striking us with increasing frequency due to the escalating climate crisis,” Barbara Metz, head of Environmental Action Germany, told the RND media group.<\/p>\n
Metz said the proposal “needs to translate into concrete action now; it cannot remain just another instance of paying lip service”.<\/p>\n
Support from Merz’s conservatives would be essential for the SPD’s climate proposal to gain traction, as amending the Basic Law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.<\/p>\n
The constitutional amendment is “the prerequisite” to guarantee long-term climate measures by letting Berlin fund and direct projects in areas that Germany’s federal system normally reserves for local and regional governments, according to the SPD document.<\/p>\n
The opposition Greens would be ready to support the idea, the party’s deputy parliamentary leader Julia Verlinden told AFP.<\/p>\n
However, the far-left Die Linke party quickly dismissed the proposal as “empty promises”, while the far-right AfD — which holds climate-sceptic views — categorically rejected the idea.<\/p>\n
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