The Executive Chancellor turns her last rounds of the climate summit.
Angela Merkel can take credit for having helped from the outset to gradually commit the countries assembled in the United Nations to the very ambitious goal of limiting the temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5 degrees.
She proudly points to the consensus that the mid-century target is now for climate neutrality.
Of course, that's not enough for activists. But climate protection needs broad acceptance in the long term if it is to succeed. The enthusiasm, at least in surveys, will also wane in Germany if the middle is concerned about how wish and reality should come together without losing work and wealth. After all, the current rise in energy prices, which is primarily due to the Corona recovery in the economy, provides an indication of the force that the politically wanted and required increase in CO2 emissions could have. More and more citizens are also realizing that without the help of the major CO2 emitters, China, Russia, India and the USA can fizzle out German climate change efforts.
Merkel's successors have the difficult task of securing the approval of the majority when it feels the troubles of the level. The coalition formed by the SPD, the Greens and the FDP can and should no longer disguise the costs of the transformation through excessive subsidies. Climate policy will come up against financial limits if it spontaneously counteracts any displeasure with state aid.
A bad example is CSU boss Söder, who rashly calls for a reduction in value added tax in order to cushion the current rise in prices.
That only provokes new demands.
The Ampel coalition agreement should lay down a clear framework for dealing with particular social hardship and competitive disadvantages when restructuring the economy.
Both will arise to a lesser extent, the better the new government succeeds in integrating other countries into climate protection in order to avoid German competitive disadvantages.
This requires considerable progress in expanding emissions trading, which Merkel recognized too late as an opportunity.