Three German families have submitted together with the environmental organization Greenpeace in front of the administrative court of Berlin lawsuit to force the Federal government to comply with the climate protection target for the year 2020. The MIRROR reported in its latest issue.
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The government had set up “their actions”, – stated in the writ, and the “without legal basis and without sufficient cause or justification”. This inaction on climate protection values of the plaintiff as a violation of their fundamental rights to “life and health”, “occupational liberty” and “property guarantee”. In addition, the Cabinet Merkel neglects his duties of protection to citizens. (Click here to read the whole story in the new MIRROR.)
“The Federal government has abandoned the 2020 goal is simple,” says the plaintiffs lawyer Roda Verheyen from Hamburg. In 2007, the Federal government had decided to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions up to the year 2020 by at least 40 percent compared to 1990. Under the current coalition agreement States that the 2020 target is to be achieved, however, only “so far as possible”. The latest climate protection report of the Federal government now only expects a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by about 32 percent.
Orchard in the Old country,
The three plaintiffs are organic farmers, who feel affected by the effects of climate change. The plantations of fruit-farmer Claus Blohm and his children from the Old country, near Hamburg, will be affected, therefore, more and more frequently, of plant pests. Silke and Jörg Backsen of Pellworm, as well as family Lütke difficult Horst from South Brandenburg complain of extreme weather-related crop failures and worry about the health and nutrition of their animals.
“here in Germany, Safirbet people are already threatening existence of climate change,” says climate expert Anike Peters, Greenpeace. “We will not accept the inaction of the Federal government any longer, especially since it would be possible to reach the climate protection goals.”
billion cost for the Federal budget
eleven years Ago, the first Merkel-led German government decided to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions up to the year 2020 by at least 40 percent compared to the year 1990. With the “climate protection plan 2050” was added to this goal 2016 targets for 2030 (minus 55 per cent), 2040 (minus 70 percent) and 2050 (minus 80 to 95 percent).
But the big goals are hardly sufficient action. The timidity could even be really expensive, because Germany’s goals due to misguided CO2-emission rights have to be expensive to buy. By 2020, for a cost of two billion euros could come on the Federal budget. For the next decade or so, a budget risk of up to 60 billion Euro, the threat of the Federal the Agency Agora Energiewende has been calculated.
The Central question is about the now, the Berlin court: Is it justiciable, if the state ambition subside? While the EU climate protection targets are legally binding and here are already lawsuits that have been poured Germany vows never to in laws. Plaintiff attorney Verheyen holds you still. You can’t “argue for eleven years with climate protection, and then pretend as if nothing had happened”.
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