After the announcement of the draft for a climate protection law of the Federal environment Ministry (BMU) since Friday more very contrasting reactions. A big progress is that the responsible ministries responsibility will be assigned, said the President of the Federal Association of Renewable energy, Simone Peter. “Each sector must deliver.”

ministries, save too little CO2, should be involved according to the will of the BMU to the cost. It is here mainly to payments for not achieving the EU’s emission targets in the areas of transport, buildings and agriculture. Germany is involved in the framework of the so-called burden-sharing. Just for the Transfer of responsibility to other ministries, the draft of the CDU was Olten-energy expert Jens Koeppen. “Anyone who believes, as of rules and thumb, the ministries bolts to be able to force savings, will fail to aim at the Paris climate protection,” he said.

link with the EU emissions trading

The climate policy spokesman of the FDP group in the Bundestag, Lukas Köhler, renewed his criticism Thursday. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) did not understand the EU System of emissions trading is quite obvious. “Different is not to declare that national CO2-reduction targets in the emissions trading participating in the energy and industry sectors require wants to, although their emissions are already capped in Europe”, he said.

daily mirror Background of energy & climate

try it Now for free!

The BMU has seen this criticism apparently before and writes in the explanatory Memorandum to the bill: “The law and the regulations of the EU-ETS Directive does not stand in the [ … ].” For one, it was not excluded under the Directive that the member States adopt their own regulations, which also include the emissions of installations within the scope of application of emissions trading. On the other, in the act referred to energy and industry sectors are not congruent with the energy or industrial plants in the emission trading Directive. Rather, the contained in the law’s objectives are to ensure that energy or industrial facilities that do not participate in the EU ETS to provide a “reasonable mitigation contribution”. Are meant for smaller industrial plants, power plants with less than 20 megawatts of power and the generation of electricity by waste incineration plants.

The draft for a climate protection law of the German Federal Ministry for the environment by Svenja Schulze (SPD) provides contradictory reactions.Photo: dpa/Kay Nietfeld

However, no penalty payments, such as in the sectors subject to the burden-sharing threaten Germany for the sectors from the emissions trading. “Nevertheless, the draft law provides also for these sectors an emergency program in case of Exceeding the national emission volumes”, – stated in the draft. Apparently, the 2016 in the climate protection plan established by the national sector the BMU goals closer to you than a in absolute Numbers, not guaranteed mitigation from emissions trading. The reductions can be anywhere in Europe, provided, theoretically, it is conceivable that Germany will achieve no savings, other member countries even more.

FDP-climate expert Köhler warns of the consequences

Further, the BMU pointed out that the draft law referred to time limits for counter-measures when failure to meet the objectives, a time synchronization with the European climate protection regulation would be ensured. According to the regulation, the member States of the EU must submit to Commission a Plan for corrective action if they miss their annual emission reduction target in accordance with the Commission’s assessment. A programme of Measures is provided also on the European level already.

Nevertheless, Köhler warns of the consequences: “it is Totally unclear what kind of should be the measures to be taken in the event of failed targets in the individual sectors. I fear, however, that the environment Minister Schulze with the support of the Greens and the Left, the factories shut down, Germany-wide driving bans or limit the use of Oil – and gas heaters,“ he said.

However, the law does not provide for any influence of the BMU on the other ministries. On the contrary, the emergency measures: “In case of Exceeding the annual emission quantity of a sector of a duty of Initiative of the Federal government consists of the resolution of the emergency programme of additional measures. The sector responsible Ministry is obliged to submit.“ In view of these requirements of the policy adviser to Arne jungjohann considers it “highly unlikely” that the Grand coalition is progressing with the new climate law forward, he said the Portal Clean Energy Wire. The decision of Schulze, the draft without agreement from the coalition partners to submit, “a note on a tactical step. The SPD will provide leadership and profile in this issue sharpen“, said a young Johann.

The post first appeared in our decision-Briefing daily mirror Background on energy & climate.