Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The path to climate neutrality by 2045 has begun!

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: The path to climate neutrality by 2045 has begun!

Something is happening in terms of climate protection in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania! Environment Minister Till Backhaus has presented a draft for a new state climate protection law that is making people sit up and take notice. This plan, which finally saw the light of day after a delay of almost two years, pursues an ambitious goal: climate neutrality by 2045 at the latest. One thing is clear: no more greenhouse gases may be emitted than nature can absorb. N-tv reports that this law is intended to provide a legally binding basis for climate policy in MV.

A central element of this law is a climate protection plan, which is to be renewed for the first time in 2026 and every four years thereafter. This plan sets out how specifically the climate goals can be achieved, for crucial sectors such as energy, transport and agriculture. This means that the state administration should also work completely climate-neutrally by 2030. Moor protection is particularly emphasized, because the approximately 300,000 hectares of moorland in the region are essential for climate protection. The draft has received the approval of the cabinet and, after hearing from associations, is to be discussed in the state parliament this year.

Reinforcement at federal level

But climate protection is not only a priority in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The federal government is also planning to tighten its national climate targets. Not only do they want to be climate neutral by 2045, but they have also raised the interim targets for 2030. Instead of the previously set 55% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to 1990, the aim is now to achieve 65%. This reports the Bundestag.

The background to this reassessment is judgments by the Federal Constitutional Court, which declared parts of the previous Climate Protection Act to be unconstitutional. In order to respond to the new pressure, the federal government has introduced a bill to adapt the Climate Protection Act to the Bundestag. Here too, an annual reduction in emissions in the various sectors is set, which envisages a reduction of 88% by 2040. Although the Federal Council welcomes the proposal, it would like to call for more measures to adapt to climate change - but these wishes are under fire because the federal government does not consider them necessary.

The challenges at a glance

The Federal Environment Agency has already pointed out that the ambitious goals are not easy to achieve. As part of the new EU climate law, emissions are to be reduced by a net 55% by 2030. The current projection of 63% might just be enough, but things are looking bleaker for 2040: only 80% reduction seems realistic, and the 88% target is in danger of being missed. Federal Environment Agency reports that a significant drop in emissions was also driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning we can't rely on balmy times.

In summary, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the federal government are taking steps in the right direction, but the challenges remain great. A good hand will probably still be required in order to actually achieve the ambitious climate goals.