Dhe Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) is suing the federal government for failing to meet climate targets in the areas of transport and buildings. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported on Tuesday, the corresponding information was also available from the German Press Agency. In its lawsuit filed with the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court, BUND is demanding the resolution of emergency programs as provided for in the Climate Protection Act.
Germany had not achieved its goal of cutting greenhouse gases by 40 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 – and not in 2021 either. According to preliminary calculations by the think tank Agora Energiewende, this will not be the case in 2022 either. There is a gap, particularly in the areas of transport and buildings, as the Federal Government’s expert council had already pointed out. The climate protection program of the federal government, which should address this, is still pending.
Dispute in the traffic light coalition
“We cannot continue to watch as parts of the federal government ignore their own climate protection goals and refuse effective measures for transport and buildings,” said BUND chairman Olaf Bandt. “Now a political decision is needed to create effective measures for climate protection. If Olaf Scholz’s government is not politically able or willing to do so, it must be legally obliged to do so.”
According to “Süddeutscher”, the lawsuit could exacerbate the dispute over climate protection in the federal government. Transport and climate policy should also be the subject of a coalition summit on Thursday. There is currently a dispute between the traffic light parties, especially between the FDP and the Greens.
