Climate ambition dispute brews in Germany’s second biggest city Hamburg ahead of state election

The mayor of Hamburg has warned against burdening citizens with too ambitious climate targets, as Germany’s second largest city might be headed for a referendum on its emissions reduction efforts, newspaper Die Welt reported. Mayor Peter Tschentscher from the Social Democrats (SPD) said that tighter climate targets might lead to a loss in acceptance “among those with a limited income,” as associated measures, such as the energy-efficient retrofitting of buildings, would have to be paid for by the tenants. The wealthy northern city-state will hold state elections on 2 March, one week after Germany’s national snap elections on 23 February. Contrary to the SPD of chancellor Olaf Scholz at the national level, Tschentscher’s state party is currently enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls.

The mayor said that while climate action was important, it had to be implemented in a viable way. Hamburg’s government has so far always sought to clarify whether industry, households and public institutions can afford measures before implementing them, Tschentscher argued. Moreover, it was not clear how a failure to comply with tighter climate targets would be dealt with, the SPD politician said, warning that measures, such as driving bans, could be the only options left if the city decided to impose higher sectoral CO2 reduction targets on itself. Those who call for tightening the agreed emissions reduction path should “take a realistic look at the consequences,” he added.

The NGO BUND rejected the mayor’s argument. Hamburg’s citizens “know what they deem acceptable,” commented local BUND head Sabine Sommer. While it is true that climate action costs money and needs to be socially just, a referendum would address exactly this challenge. The effects of climate change would hit poorer households disproportionately and the costs of mitigation would be much lower if action is taken as soon as possible, Sommer argued. “This will free up resources that we need for the future-oriented transformation of Hamburg’s economy,” she said. Annika Rittmann of climate activist group Fridays for Future said suggesting that driving bans would be the only option left was factually wrong. “And it is also reckless in polarised times like these,” she argued.

The possible referendum in Hamburg calls for the city-state to become climate neutral in 2040, five years ahead of Germany's deadline. It was initiated by Fridays for Future and is supported by a wide range of civil society groups, business associations and trade unions. Advocates of the public vote on the large port city’s climate ambitions had successfully collected more than 100,000 signatures for the referendum after the city government refused to act on an earlier popular petition. If the state parliament does not adopt the legislation proposed by the initiative, Hamburg would hold the referendum in autumn.