Is the new government commissioner for climate also the right one for the climate?
(Photo: action press)
Berlin You don’t hear any loud complaints, only a quiet grumbling, but the anger in parts of the economy about the appointment of Greenpeace boss Jennifer Morgan as the climate protection officer of the federal government is there. Diplomatic in tone, unequivocal in substance – that’s the echo.
Wolfgang Große Entrup, for example, the general manager of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), wishes Jennifer Morgan “extreme diplomatic skills and persuasiveness”. The campaign style will not lead to success in the difficult international negotiations, says Große Entrup, alluding to photos showing Greenpeace activist Morgan at demonstrations and in a life jacket in front of Greenpeace ships.
On the other hand, anyone who “can use assertiveness and political skill to advance the global climate club of the willing that we are calling for in order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality not only in Europe, could be the right person for this job,” says Große Entrup. “We need accomplices. Going it alone and climate protection don’t go together,” adds the VCI General Manager.
Grosse Entrup is getting to the heart of the problem that is affecting parts of the economy: companies complain that Europe, and Germany in particular, is pushing ahead with ever new, ever more ambitious climate protection goals without paying attention to whether the rest of the world will follow suit.
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In her eyes, Morgan stands for strengthening this course – no matter what the cost. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) celebrated Morgan’s appointment on Wednesday as a “dream cast”. As an experienced tax woman, Morgan will steer German climate foreign policy.
A competent and well-connected climate expert
There is nothing wrong with Morgan’s professional qualifications. The 55-year-old American, who has applied for German citizenship, is considered a competent and internationally well-connected climate expert. According to Greenpeace, she has attended every international climate conference since the first in Berlin in 1995. Among other things, she studied international relations and worked for various environmental organizations and think tanks.
The worries of the economy do not come by chance. In fact, the EU is the first continent on earth to set itself the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050. Germany went one better in the middle of last year. The federal government at the time initiated a tightening of the climate protection law in the spring.
According to this, Germany is the first and so far the only country in the world to become climate-neutral as early as 2045. This has immense consequences for large parts of industry. In order to become climate-neutral by 2045 and to achieve the legally defined interim goals, the steel and chemical industries, for example, have to convert many processes to hydrogen-based processes. This requires high investments and will significantly increase operating costs over the years.
This reduces the competitiveness of companies. They will hardly be able to survive without state aid. In principle, the new federal government is willing to use considerable funds.
However, there are many question marks as to whether companies will succeed in protecting companies from non-European competitors who do not have to make comparable efforts to protect the climate. From the point of view of many entrepreneurs, further advances by Germany are therefore not justifiable.
The Federation of German Industries (BDI) is also convinced that creating comparable competitive conditions is a central task of future climate protection officers.
“We expect that Jennifer Morgan, with her extensive experience and extensive network, will quickly succeed in ensuring more uniform ambitions in global climate protection. The faster we achieve a level playing field in an international comparison, the better it is for climate protection and the competitiveness of German industry,” said Holger Loesch, Deputy General Manager of the BDI. “That’s the decisive criterion for us, that’s how we will measure Jennifer Morgan,” he added.
Some managers are more explicit, but do not want to be named. Morgan’s appeal was “lobbyism of the purest kind,” said one. It was not long ago that the Greens asked the climate protection associations for help during the coalition negotiations so that they could put pressure on the SPD and FDP.
Now the Greens think it’s right to say thank you. It is a bad signal that Baerbock does not trust the staff in her own house and in the Ministry of the Environment to adequately represent Germany in international climate protection negotiations.
More: BASF boss rejects state protective shield in climate protection debate.