KEYWORDS– Emissions reduction, Climate Protection Act, Greenhouse gases
The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg held that the Government of Germany violated climate change law as they failed to reach annual targets. The court wants the government to implement changes to achieve these goals which have remained unmet.
The court found that the government failed at meeting emissions reduction targets in construction and transportation and was also not successful to reach its climate goals and must act upon it soon to ensure its policies to align with the Climate Protection Act. The court made it clear, as it said, “Climate protection is a legal obligation, not just a political nice-to-have”. The federal government has to decide on a program according to the Climate Protection Act to ensure compliance with annual emission standards.
The case was taken to court after the previous request to the government from BUND, an Environmental NGO was ignored they took their claim to court, and made a demand of emergency measures to ensure compliance with the annual sector targets. Environmental NGOs brought this claim to court, which rested on Section 8 of the Climate Protection Act, whose aim is to reduce 65% of greenhouse gas emissions from1990 levels to 2030.
The ruling was celebrated by managing director of BUND, Antje von Broock as he stated that the court has strengthened the backing of climate protection and that they expect new measures such as abolishing company car privileges, speed limits, ending tax advantages for kerosene and diesel. He marked climate policy failure of federal government as illegal and expressed his hope for the ministers Geywitz,Wissing and Habeck to take ambitious measures for climate change.
REFERENCES
- https://www.dw.com/en/german-court-rules-federal-government-violated-climate-law/a-67596149
- https://www.jurist.org/news/2023/12/german-court-rules-government-violated-climate-change-policy/#:~:text=The%20Berlin%2DBrandenburg%20Higher%20Administrative,were%20successful%20in%20their%20claims.
WRITTEN BY- SNEHA MADAN,COLLEGE –LLOYD LAW COLLEGE, FIRST SEMESTER LEGAL JOURNALISM INTERN AT LEGAL VIDHIYA.
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