Germany’s Merz addresses critics with climate action pledge

Merz’s center-right alliance has until now emphasized the need to “balance” climate action with efforts to revive Germany’s sputtering economy.(AFP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday sought to assuage critics who accuse his government of doing too little to combat climate change after a brutal summer of heat waves and drought.“We have to further curb climate change and at the same time better adapt to the consequences,” Merz said at the start of a two-day retreat outside Berlin with members of his Cabinet.Germany had to “draw the long-term lessons from extreme situations such as this summer of heat,” he said, adding that the European Union’s largest economy had suffered “significant damage” in recent months.A heat wave in late June saw Germany break its all-time temperature record three days in a row, topping 42 degrees Celsius, and official data show the country has registered a record of about 14,000 heat-related deaths this year.The country has seen wildfires and serious effects on harvests, as well as rivers falling to levels that have restricted crucial navigation routes.Merz’s center-right CDU/CSU alliance has until now emphasized the need to “balance” climate action with efforts to revive Germany’s sputtering economy.It also faces pressure from the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is leading in the polls and denies the scientific consensus that climate change is primarily caused by human activity.The Greens and environmental activists argue that the government, a coalition of the CDU/CSU and the center-left Social Democrats, is not acting with the urgency the climate crisis requires.Social Democratic politicians have suggested further measures to enshrine climate protection in the constitution, an idea that has received a frosty reception from the CDU/CSU.“After weeks of silence and playing the issue down, the government is finally talking about climate protection and adaptation,” Greens leader Felix Banaszak said Tuesday.“This will only be credible if Merz and his government fundamentally change course,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper, saying action was particularly needed on the transition to green energy.An expert commission in May forecast that Germany would miss its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets, which are enshrined in law.A Greenpeace study this week estimated that the economic costs of the extreme summer of 2026 — from productivity losses and health costs to poor harvests and restricted river traffic — amount to at least 36 billion euros in Germany.Outside the venue of the Cabinet retreat in Neuhardenberg, in Brandenburg state, Greenpeace activists set up a fire engine with a large banner that read, “Merz, extinguish the fire.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads