The head of the Environmental Agency (UBA), Dirk Messner, fears that climate protection may play a subordinate role in the future. “Multiple crises are threatening to push climate and environmental protection off the political agenda” Messner told the “Rheinische Post” (Friday edition).
“This is a great concern of mine, because science shows that the devastating climate change can only be averted if ambitious climate protection is rapidly implemented. Otherwise, we will be passing on enormous risks to future generations, who will later view us as the egoism generation, that despite all knowledge of the consequences of climate change, did not act accordingly” said the UBA head.
Without climate protection, one cannot secure prosperity. “The costs of climate change far exceed the investments in climate protection by a multiple. The devastations in the Ahrtal through extreme weather, which resulted in damages of over 30 billion euros, were a taste of what’s to come” Messner said.
He mainly sees the democratic parties under an obligation. “Populist parties are science-denying and deny climate change. Ambitious climate protection, as a strategy for securing prosperity and strengthening our quality of life, should be a common concern of the democratic parties” Messner added.