Before the general election, the parties outbid each other with their commitments to climate protection and the energy transition. Is the big boost coming now?
Sven Astheimer
Editor responsible for corporate reporting.
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Helmut Bünder
Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.
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Jonas Jansen
Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.
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One can only hope so.
It has not yet been realized how great the challenge is that we have placed on ourselves.
Everyone is talking about it, but I lack the tension in politics.
The fact that Germany should be completely climate-neutral as early as 2045 instead of 2050 is an unbelievable tightening.
But that went through so nonchalantly during the election campaign.
The effort that this means for entire industries, the investments required for this - one is still fooling oneself.
It is dramatic what change has to be made.
Does one of the parties really understand the challenges?
I think everyone is very reluctant to assess the impact on citizens.
The energy transition is often based on the principle of hope: everything will go well.
But it won't if we continue like this.
In your opinion, where is the problem?
It starts with the planning and approval process.
Regardless of whether it is wind turbines or new power lines: It all takes far too long.
Take Schleswig-Holstein, for example.
A capacity of 7,000 megawatts of wind power has been installed there and it is to be expanded to 15,000 megawatts.
This electricity has to be transported away.
But if it takes ten years to build the necessary lines, it won't work.
What has to change?
Exceptions are suggested for certain projects to make things faster.
I don't think so.
If a system is crap, then you have to change the system and not tinker with new exceptions.
For example, through the introduction of deadline regulations: What is not presented within a limited period of time is out of the process.
Or the introduction of a preclusion: the conditions of the procedure remain the same from start to finish.
That would put pressure on the process.
At the moment, even after years, you can still come to terms with the fact that there are new insights.
And there is always someone who complains.
This boils down to curtailing the rights of objection and participation.
We have to accept that a radical change of the kind we are striving for in Germany will lead to difficult balancing of interests.
Germany needs huge amounts of offshore wind power to achieve the climate goals.
For this, cables have to be laid through the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site.
Not everyone will like this.
Another example: some rare bird is always affected, and then a lengthy local check is carried out.
Ideally, we would need registers for bird species and populations and have to move away from district-specific individual considerations.
Do you think such ideas are realistic if the Greens are involved in government?
The Greens are the only ones who can change it as it affects their clientele. The question now is whether we are really serious about climate protection and what we are prepared to change for it. One thing is clear: if we do not change the framework conditions, the energy transition will fail. And that also means that we can earn the money we need to be able to cope with the incredibly high investments.