Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that the country’s 2019 climate protection act is in part unconstitutional.
The law lacks provisions on how greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced after 2031, the constitutional judges said.
The judges in Karlsruhe told the legislature they had up until the end of next year to set out more detailed reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions for the period after 2030.
What is the case about?
The complaint was filed by a group of nine mostly young people. They are supported by several environmental associations, such as Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Fridays for Futures.
They have criticized the law, saying it does not go far enough to sufficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change.
They argue that because the law will not limit climate change, it violates their fundamental right to a humane future.
What is the climate protection law?
Germany’s climate protection act was approved by the government in 2019.
Under the act, Germany is obliged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
It also sets out yearly upper limits for greenhouse gases across various sectors such as energy, transport, buildings and agriculture.
If these individual targets are missed, an obligation to make improvements takes effect.
kmm/rt (Reuters, dpa)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/german-climate-law-is-partly-unconstitutional-top-court-rules/a-57369917?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf