Dispute over Bavarian state government decision to delay climate neutrality target to 2045

A controversial decision by the government of Bavaria to delay the German state’s climate neutrality target to 2045 has drawn heavy criticism from opposition lawmakers and the public. Bavaria’s government, led by the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) and its coalition partner Free Voters (FW), already in November last year decided to postpone the original 2040 target by five years, citing economic challenges and Germany’s nuclear energy phase-out, reported public broadcaster Bayrischer Rundfunk. However, the government failed to make this decision public for weeks, and its revelation has now caused an uproar.

State premier Markus Söder from the CSU has since tasked environment minister Thorsten Glauber from the rightwing-populist FW with drafting a new climate law for the state, but Glauber said that Bavaria should wait for the result of the upcoming federal elections and “synchronise” its state targets with those of the next federal government. Contrary to Söder, Glauber said that nuclear power can no longer play a role in the economic powerhouse state’s energy plans.

Following the revelation two weeks ago, the regional Green Party initiated a petition which more than 10,000 people have signed, wrote newspaper Merkur. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that political discussions now intensified, as FW economy minister Hubert Aiwanger enraged opposition members by questioning climate science in parliament. International climate scientists have long agreed that extreme weather events such as floods, forest fires, heat waves, droughts, or torrential rains increase in frequency as the planet warms due to the burning of fossil fuels.

Martim Stümpfig, the Bavarian Green Party’s spokesman for energy and climate action, said that he was “shocked” about the minister’s statements, adding that even only recent events, such as the floods in Spain and southern Germany in the past year or the forest fires in Los Angeles should be enough for Aiwanger to “wake up.”

In 2021, Bavaria’s government cabinet had decided to put the 2040 target into law with a revision of the state’s climate law.