17. November 2020

Climate Greenwashing by the Federal Government?

Why the current advertising campaign is greenwashing and why we see it as a direct attack on the climate justice movement.

Not forgotten: While 1.4 million people demonstrated for real #climate protection on 20 September 2019, the German government launched its climate package. It turned out to be an unsuitable “climate mini-package”. The reaction was sheer horror – among activists, in science and elsewhere.

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The German government has now taken up the cause of promoting the measures that are now being launched. Although there have been slight improvements in the meantime, they are far too few to stop the unstoppable progress of the #Climate Crisis.
Because: the scientific worst-case scenarios are regularly reached or even exceeded.

How do the German government’s celebrated measures stack up?

The CO2 price is often called the “most effective” instrument. The Federal Environment Agency considers a CO2 price of 180 euros to be appropriate. Sweden has a CO2 price of 125 euros, Switzerland up to 240 francs – Germany starts with 25 euros and celebrates itself for it! (And now there are even plans to exempt lorries from this).

Agriculture. €344 million organic funding (2018) is all well and good. But according to a Greenpeace study, this sum would have to increase to €1 billion per annum by 2030 to reach the EU target of 25% of agricultural land being farmed organically.

The largest subsidies still go to climate-damaging conventional agriculture. As things stand now, both national and EU targets are being missed. We are not even talking about the disaster with EU agricultural subsidies. Julia Klöckner is driving lobbyist protection instead of climate protection!

“Team: Europe” your kidding: this reference is regularly used to shift responsibility rather than to set positive standards within the EU. While the EU Parliament is leading the way and demanding 60% CO2 reduction by 2030, Germany is pushing hard on the brakes.

For example, an analysis by the British think tank Ember has found that in 2030 Germany alone will be responsible for around 30 percent of CO2 emissions in the electricity sector in the EU-27. Is this supposed to be team play?

“Germany’s slow exit from coal is blocking the EU’s move to clean energy sources”, said Charles Moore, author of the study. “Germany urgently needs to change course and set a good example by moving towards CO2-neutral power generation in this decade”. Link

Why is the expansion of renewable energies progressing so slowly? While Peter Altmaier describes the EEG amendment as a “future signal for more climate protection”, the verdict of experts is devastating.

Volker Quaschning said: “It is bold for Mr Altmaier to praise climate protection but then to present something that does not meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement”.

Sure, now everyone will complain that we are never satisfied and yet we should be grateful for small steps – and that compromises must be made.

In reality this campaign is an attack on our movement. Instead of being ashamed of inadequate climate protection targets and trying to improve them, the government is celebrating measures that are at most a drop in the ocean!

“Look here – we’re doing something” is the message designed to undermine the legitimacy of our protest. This treats people, who have little time to familiarise themselves with the subject matter, as dumb. We will not allow that to happen – because our future is at stake. And it is not negotiable!

Therefore, dear CDU, SPD, CSU and all other parties: Cut the Bullshit! We have no time for Sunday speeches. You have talked enough, now you have to deliver!

We want to have a real choice in the next election – between several parties with programmes that are in line with the Paris Agreement!