The past two weeks in Germany have shown how quickly political winds can turn.
On 29 April, Germany’s top constitutional court in Karlsruhe ruled that the country’s climate protection law infringed upon the rights of the nation’s youth. The law, which aimed to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050, was considered too vague by the judges, who gave legislators until the end of 2022 to fix it.
The case – previously only of interest to legal scholars and climate activists until the ruling was announced – created a political whirlwind.
On 5 May, the federal government followed up. Taking observers by surprise, senior cabinet members announced plans to aim for climate neutrality by 2045 instead of 2050 and cut emissions by 65% before the end of this decade.