Greens will be judged against keeping 1.5°C target alive in coalition treaty - media

Leaders of the three parties currently negotiating the coalition treaty for the next German government are confident that they will reach an agreement early this week. For the Greens and their supporters, the outcome will only be acceptable if the 1.5°C warming limit remains within reach through the policies and decisions outlined in the coalition agreement, Ulrich Schulte writes in the taz. At a party conference in Brandenburg this weekend, Green Party negotiator Michael Kellner spoke of “brutally exhausting negotiations” and the party’s co-leader, Annalena Baerbock, said she was at times frustrated when other parties refused to take responsibility for climate protection. Only if the party leadership is able to show that the treaty can keep the 1.5°C limit alive, will the Greens accept the deal, Schulte says.

The leaders of the Social Democrats (SPD), the pro-business FDP and the Greens have spent the past week discussing outstanding issues, with a good three days devoted to ecological topics, Schulte writes. SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz said at a different event that last week’s discusions were "very good, very constructive talks that are also making rapid progress.” Scholz aims to be elected chancellor in the week of 6 December. Prior to that, the Greens will invite all 120,000 party members to vote on the coalition agreement online. The SPD and the FDP will organise party conferences on 4 and 5 December, respectively, to secure their members’ backing for the agreement.