Next government should “critically examine” existing climate targets, agree on new, "more realistic" ones – opinion

The next German government after Sunday’s election should begin with “a critical examination” of existing climate and energy policy guidelines and decide new, “more realistic” ones, writes Andreas Mihm in an opinion piece in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “This has to include the admission that a decarbonisation by 2050 is not realistic with today’s possibilities and without a radical change in the way we life. As every primary school teacher knows, targets must be achievable. Guidelines that ask too much of the pupils from the start, achieve the exact opposite: they discourage,” writes Mihm. “Less overly ambitious announcements are recommended for the next legislative term, and more promising deeds instead.”

Find the opinion piece in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheet Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and climate targets.