Climate activists establish new national party, stop short of eying 2021 elections

The German activist group Climate List (Klimaliste) has announced the establishment of a national political party, but will not yet run in the upcoming federal elections in September. During an online press conference, Klimaliste said it will instead support climate activists running for parliament as direct candidates. With the founding of a national party, Klimaliste aims to “challenge the established parties." Their core aim is to gear German politics towards a clear commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the lower end of the desired margin formulated in the Paris Climate Agreement, which also allows for a limit of 2 degrees Celsius. So far, the party has only fielded candidates in regional or municipal elections. Klimaliste member Beatrice Bednarz said the climate policies proposed by the conservative CDU, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens are far off the 1.5 degree Celsius target. "We need a CO2 price of at least 195 euros per tonne," she argued. "The Greens merely demand 60 euros per tonne by 2023. This shows they are far from striving for climate justice."

The Klimaliste is seen as a direct competitor of the Green Party, which some climate activists have criticised for adopting a too moderate tone regarding climate action in a bid to lure voters away from more conservative-leaning parties. While the party has managed to gain seats in elections at the municipal level, the activist group so far has participated in three state elections and failed to clear the five-percent threshold to enter parliament in either one of them.