Need to involve all actors in society for climate protection – President Steinmeier

Germany is able to live up to its obligations in international climate protection and should not give up the pioneer role it has played in areas such as renewable energies and environmental technologies, said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the award ceremony for the German Environmental Prize. Environmental and climate protection are tasks to which all citizens must be committed, and there are many challenges, said Steinmeier. “That is why it is important to involve all actors in society in finding solutions in order to achieve a balance between ecological, social, economic, and industrial interests.” This had not always been the case in the past, as was shown by the dispute surrounding the fate of Hambach Forest. “We must act, we must act together, and we must act quickly,” said Steinmeier.

Find the text of the speech in German here.

For background, read the CLEW article Court's halt to forest clearing fans talk of easier German coal exit and the dossier The energy transition and climate change.