Social Democrats demand clear climate proposals after ministry cancels buildings commission
Clean Energy Wire
Responding to the cancellation of Germany’s buildings commission, the governing Social Democrats (SPD) are calling on their coalition partner, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance, to explain how conservative-led ministries intend to contribute to reaching national climate targets and abide by the country’s planned Climate Action Law. The interior ministry, led by the conservative Horst Seehofer, recently announced it would cancel the buildings commission, which was supposed to identify ways to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint. “Now that the buildings commission has been called off, both the interior and the (conservative-led) economy ministry must assume responsibility” and explain how emissions in the sector can be reduced, Bernhard Daldrup and Bernd Westphal, SPD experts for the buildings and energy sectors, said in a joint statement.
The buildings commission was promised in Germany’s coalition treaty and was supposed to propose ways to cut carbon emissions from construction and existing buildings, much as the Coal Commission was tasked with doing in the energy sector. A third commission that deals with emissions from transport has started its work but is yet to deliver any concrete proposals. Under Germany’s planned Climate Action Law, all ministries are supposed to submit concrete measures for emissions reduction this year.
