Conservatives and SPD defend postponing Germany’s 2020 climate goal

Germany’s negotiating coalition parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD), have defended their decision to postpone the country’s 2020 goal of reducing emissions by 40 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, saying the move demonstrated honesty rather than inaction on climate protection. “The 2020 goal was not difficult to abandon as we knew it wouldn't be possible to cut 90 million tonnes” of greenhouse gases within the next three years, CDU energy spokesperson Thomas Bareiß said during a debate at an energy industry conference by business daily Handelsblatt. “We were simply being honest,” Bareiß said, adding that the goal would still have been missed if the conservatives had suceeded in forming a coalition with the pro-business FDP and Greens. Bareiß’s SPD counterpart Bernd Westphal said, “credibility is an important part of politics – and we are not able to meet this goal.” The Green Party’s Oliver Krischer said “being honest” was difficult to accept as an explanation for the decision as Chancellor Merkel promised the 2020 goal would be met only days before last September’s election.