Germans willing to pay 32 euros per month for climate action – survey

A survey by weekly tabloid Bild am Sonntag found people in Germany would be willing to spend an average of 32 euros per month on climate action. Around 16 percent of respondents said they would not pay anything at all, 21 percent would pay up to 10 euros, 12 percent up to 50 euros and 10 percent would pay more than that. Respondents were split over whether emissions should be reduced through a CO2 tax, with 47 percent welcoming the idea and 49 percent against it.  
In another survey by public broadcaster ZDF, 63 percent of respondents said not enough is being done politically to limit climate change. A clear majority of 71 percent said they would be in favour of "substantially" higher taxes on flight tickets. The idea to make air travel, a rapidly growing source of emissions, more expensive to incentivise the use of cleaner alternatives like trains had recently been advocated by environment minister Svenja Schulze.

Despite paying among the highest power prices in Europe, Germans remain supportive of the energy transition and the switch to a low-carbon economy. High energy costs tend to burden low-income households more than wealthier ones, which is why many experts argue that revenue from a carbon tax should be used to compensate less well-off citizens.