The WWF welcomed the decision of the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig against the coalition government’s climate protection program. “It is now legally established what is required: a stringent, consistent, comprehensive package that meets the statutory aim of achieving climate neutrality by no later than 2045” said Viviane Raddatz, climate chief at WWF Germany. “Only with such measures can we make Germany future‑proof and safeguard our well‑being in the medium and long term”.
Raddatz criticized the federal government’s climate policy, describing it as “like pounding on a pot to address one of the greatest crises of our time-random shifts without direction”. She added, “The goal is not ‘warmer, warmer, hotter.'”
By March, the government must submit a new climate program and the 2027 budget. “There is a big opportunity to lay the groundwork for effective climate policy” Raddatz said. “With the right measures and investments, a course correction can succeed. This protects our economy and raises living standards today and tomorrow. Climate protection must be a program, not a slogan”.
On Thursday, the court ruled that the climate protection program must include measures that reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions at least 65 % below 1990 levels by 2030. It criticized the government’s forecasts for being inaccurate and pointed out a gap of 200 million tonnes of CO₂‑equivalent that must be closed to meet the 2030 interim target. The government can now decide which new measures to adopt, provided they sufficiently achieve the 2030 goal.
Regardless of the court’s decision, the government is legally obligated to present a new climate program by 25 March. This new program will exceed the one debated on Thursday, as it must not only uphold the 2030 target but also the 2040 goal and the specific objectives for each year from 2031 to 2040.