German Greens vow to hasten carbon goal

Germany’s Green party adopted an election manifesto yesterday that vowed to transform the economy and fast-track its transition to carbon neutrality by 10 years to 2035. Pledging to turn Germany into a “socio-ecological market economy”, Annalena Baerbock, the party’s candidate for chancellor, this weekend proposed a “pact with German industry”. Companies that became climate neutral and localised their production would receive compensation from the state, she said. She and her party have come under heavy scrutiny ahead of parliamentary elections this September, which will not only mark the end of Angela Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor but see the eco-party field its first nominee for Germany’s top job. The Greens rode a wave of popularity after Baerbock’s nomination but rivals have argued its climate plans would cost individuals more — in terms of fuel and flights. In the wake of fierce attacks from Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens registered sixth place in a state election last weekend. They have dropped to 22 per cent in the polls, with the CDU again at the top, with 28 per cent. Baerbock, meanwhile, has faced widespread criticism over delayed reporting of extra income and embellishing her curriculum vitae. The CDU and SPD, long Germany’s dominant parties and wary of the Green ascendance, have attacked its planned carbon tax of €60 per tonne, arguing it placed a heavy burden on lower-income citizens. Green leaders have struggled to convey their message that it will cost citizens only a few cents more than the current government plan. Delegates at this weekend’s conference broadly backed Baerbock, despite complaints from its younger, leftwing base that the leadership’s plan is too moderate. Delegates rejected their proposal to further raise carbon prices, and backed a €500bn spending plan for the next 10 years, based on a Green proposal to loosen Germany’s debt brake. In promoting her economic plan, Baerbock explicitly referred to US President Joe Biden’s $1.9tn infrastructure plan and called for a “transatlantic alliance for climate neutrality”. She also had some harsh words for European and German foreign policy, criticising the EU for its complacency over Chinese purchases of European infrastructure, and reiterated her rejection of Berlin’s support for the contested Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will pump gas from Russia to Germany. “Europe has sold itself short. Yet we are the largest economic community in the world,” she said. “We have everything we need to set our own standards . . . If we do not become more sovereign, others will decide for us.” While pushing for a tougher line on China and Russia might be music to many ears in Washington, the Greens also vowed to renegotiate Germany’s pledge to Nato to spend 2 per cent of its budget on defence, a move likely to be unpopular with the Biden administration.