As global energy prices continue to rise in the wake of the conflict between Israel and Iran, the German Green Party is calling for a drastic shift in the government’s energy policy.
In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, the two deputy faction leaders of the Green Party in the Bundestag, Julia Verlinden and Andreas Audretsch, warned of the dangers of Germany’s dependence on fossil fuels. They cautioned that an escalation of global crises, such as a blockade of the crucial Hormuz Strait, could have dramatic consequences for prices in Germany, potentially exceeding the initial impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Verlinden and Audretsch sharply criticized the announcements of new gas power plants and a reform of the heating law by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU). They accused Reiche of being stuck in a fossil-fuel mindset and urged her to break free from the influence of lobbies. Instead, the Green Party leaders called for a strategy that prioritizes the development of renewable energy and the promotion of electromobility.
The Green Party is demanding that Reiche work with companies and consumer organizations to prepare a plan for coping with an escalation of the energy crisis and to inform the public in a transparent and timely manner. They also emphasized the need to further expand the use of renewable energy and to accelerate the transition to electromobility. The party’s leaders warned that Reiche must not be allowed to lead Germany and Europe further into dependence on dictators and autocrats, such as Putin, Trump, or the Iranian mullahs.