Environmental groups reacted indignantly to statements made by Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet about the coal phase-out.
BUND chairman Olaf Bandt said that Laschet "is lying or is misinformed when he claims that BUND and Greenpeace had proposed the coal phase-out in 2038".
The opposite is true.
"We have always
made it clear that such a late phase-out date for serious climate protection is far too late and therefore demanded a coal phase-out by 2030 at the latest in a special vote."
Martin Kaiser, executive director of Greenpeace Germany, also asked on Twitter whether Laschet had been misinformed or lied: "Both are unworthy of someone who wants to become chancellor."
Laschet was confronted with statements by CSU boss Markus Söder in an interview on ZDF on Sunday.
Söder had announced that he would be able to work to enable coal to be phased out as early as 2030.
Laschet then said that North Rhine-Westphalia was leading the way in phasing out coal and that it could do that by 2030.
“But we had a coal commission with scientists, with Greenpeace, with the BUND, with Professor Schellnhuber, one of the most renowned climate researchers - and they proposed the date 2038 because they dealt with ecological and social issues, especially in Lusatia Keeping an eye on East Germany. ”Laschet went on to say that politics must be
reliable.
“That's why I think we should stay on schedule.” Personally, he thinks that the exit is due to the CO2 price
more quickly.
The coal commission set up by the government presented its report in early 2019. It included representatives from business, trade unions and environmental associations, as well as scientists.