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The World From Berlin

'Climate Chancellor' No More

Part 2: Judicious or Opportunistic?

The conservative newspaper Die Welt writes:

"If there is a single policy field in which till now Chancellor Angela Merkel has been able to transcend practically all partisan boundaries, it is environmental protection. Whether at the (2007) G8 summit in Heiligendamm or in the Arctic standing on melting ice -- Merkel has happily styled herself as a champion of global climate protection. If she is now announcing ahead of the coming EU summit that she wants to break some climate-change resolutions that jeopardize German jobs, this inevitably causes irritation. Many even smell a betrayal of a worthy cause."

"But beyond this do-gooder rhetoric, the world is more complicated. Surely it would be opportunistic to simply scrap yesterday's climate protection promises just because the financial and economic crises are putting pressure on the agenda. But it would be equally irresponsible to behave as if the situation has not changed in the preceding months. Whoever thinks that the economy, which is in the middle of the worst recession in decades, can, without hesitation, take on additional burdens costing billions overestimates its resilience."

"The Chancellor has come to the right conclusion if she is now urging us not to lose sight of jobs when talking about climate protection. It is judicious in a time of emgergency -- not simply a turncoat's tactical maneuver -- to seek to proect national interests in Brussels, for instance in the auto industry or in the energy sector."

The right-leaning Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

"The news is supposed to be the worst blow for saving the world's climate since (Environment Minister) Sigmar Gabriel revoked his godfatherhood for the poor polar bear Knut: the Chancellor is abandoning (the fight against) global warming. But the hopes of the Greens, wrapped in the garment of indignation, are not being totally fulfilled. Precisely because of her competitive situation, Ms. Merkel is not about to entirely cede environmental issues to the Greens and Social Democrats. The left could hardly have expected that the Chancellor would transform into a fundamentalist during these times of crisis, that reducing carbon dioxide emissions would mean everything and that securing German jobs would mean nothing. In the chorus of voices calling for subsidies, consumer vouchers and other help, it isn't the most unreasonable thing to first warn against additional burdens on businesses. Rules protecting the environment don't always have this impact. Still, with some of them, we risk entirely stalling an already sputtering motor."

Christopher Glazek, 2:30 CET

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