German churches warn government reforms would slow down energy transition
Clean Energy Wire
With a view to upcoming parliamentary deliberations on key renewable energy legislation, an alliance of Catholic and Protestant church organisations has sharply criticised government plans, arguing these would slow down Germany’s energy transition. The plans would risk putting the brakes on the rollout of renewable energy sources and extend the country's dependence on fossil fuels, the coalition said in its "Ecumenical Appeal for a Just Climate and Energy Policy".
"In light of the current and impending setbacks in climate policy, the price fluctuations in the energy sector and the German government’s current course of action, which is exacerbating external energy dependencies, we are raising our voices to draw attention to these political missteps," the appeal said.
The government has agreed on a sweeping overhaul of support for renewable energy projects, ending guaranteed payments for newly installed small rooftop solar systems and cutting compensation for future wind and solar farms hit by grid bottlenecks. The reform aims to cut costs, but environmental NGOs argue it would create investment uncertainty, jeopardise the expansion of renewable energy, slow down climate action and weaken Germany’s position as a business location.
“We view current political decisions with concern. They are hindering the necessary steps towards a sustainable energy system: a watering down of climate policy targets, delays in the expansion of renewable energy, a lack of progress in the decarbonisation of transport and buildings, growing financial burdens on low-income households due to fossil fuel costs, and continued dependence on imported fossil gas,” the appeal said.
"The past few months have once again shown just how palpable the consequences of climate change already are today - for our livelihoods and, in particular, for people in the Global South," said Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, a regional bishop and the Evangelical Church’s commissioner for creation care.
The planned reforms to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and the planned grid reform package are jeopardising progress on cutting emissions, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and channelling funds into local value creation, said Irme Stetter-Karp, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics. "If incentives for investment are reduced, there is a risk that the energy transition will be slowed down," she added.
Parliament will debate the changes in the coming weeks. The church alliance appealed to parliamentarians "to draft the amendment to the Renewable Energy Act and the grid package in such a way that they accelerate - rather than slow down - the transition to a climate-neutral energy system."
Concerns about the government's lack of climate ambition have been growing in many parts of society, as well as about its other efforts to cut costs across the board to balance the country’s budget amid rising costs and weak economic growth. Interventions by the church on environmental and social policy decisions in the energy transition are a common feature of public debate in Germany, but it is rather unusual that the churches address specific reforms. While it carries no official influence over policymaking, many voters – and in particular those of chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrat Union (CDU) – identify with values and goals promoted by the church.