SPD ministries push for constitutional amendment on climate adaptation amid heat summer

Five SPD ministries present joint heat action plan

Five SPD-led federal ministries have presented a four-page action plan pressing coalition partner CDU/CSU to do more against extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding. The paper, first reported by Der Spiegel on Sunday and obtained by Tagesspiegel and AFP, was signed by the ministries of Finance (Lars Klingbeil), Environment (Carsten Schneider), Labor and Social Affairs (Bärbel Bas), Building (Verena Hubertz), and Development (Reem Alabali Radovan). It states that Germany has warmed by 2.5 degrees since pre-industrial times and that Europe is warming faster than the rest of the world. The ministers call for a "Gemeinschaftsaufgabe Klimaanpassung und Naturschutz" to be enshrined in the Basic Law still in this legislative period, arguing this is the prerequisite for the federal government to co-finance state and municipal climate adaptation tasks in a long-term, legally secure, and nationwide manner.

Immediate measures and funding proposals

Until the constitutional amendment is in place, the ministers propose a "Sofortprogramm Klimaanpassung und Hitzeschutz" to bundle existing federal funding instruments over the coming three years. The plan calls for developing municipal heat action plans into a national heat action plan in cooperation with federal and state governments. It proposes reopening the funding program "Klimaanpassung in sozialen Einrichtungen" with a new funding window for projects in nursing homes and hospitals. The SPD ministers also want to use the debt-financed "Sondervermögen" for infrastructure and climate protection to fund facade insulation, window replacements, roof renovations, and cooling systems. Worker protection against extreme temperatures is to be adapted, with short-time work benefits (Kurzarbeitergeld) available for heat-related production interruptions. Climate adaptation is to be embedded in building planning law, with requirements for climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban development and better protection of green spaces and tree populations.

Coalition partner and opposition react

The CDU/CSU has reacted skeptically. Klaus Mack, the Union faction's deputy for environment and climate, told AFP that whether a constitutional amendment makes sense can only be judged once a concrete proposal exists and that it must bring added value. CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann had told the Rheinische Post days earlier that a constitutional amendment was cheap and brings nothing, arguing it would give the federal government ever new competencies and lead to jurisdictional disputes. She called it "der falsche Weg." The Greens have signaled support, with faction vice Julia Verlinden saying on Sunday that the Greens back a constitutional amendment. However, a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag is required, meaning opposition votes would be needed. The Left party criticized the initiative as a half-hearted push by top SPD officials, according to DIE WELT.

SPD faction rallies behind the plan

The SPD Bundestag faction has backed the proposal. Environment policy spokesperson Jakob Blankenburg told DIE WELT that wildfires in the Eifel, low water on the Elbe, Rhine, and Danube, and crop failures in agriculture are the everyday reality of summer in Germany.

Forest fires in the Eifel, low water on the Elbe, Rhine and Danube, crop failures in agriculture: that is everyday life in summer in Germany.

Only with the constitutional amendment could the federal government support states and municipalities permanently instead of fighting for new funding programs every year, he added. Faction vice Esra Limbacher told the Rheinische Post that the faction supports both the action program and the constitutional amendment. Environment Minister Schneider had previously said his hands were tied in many respects, making climate adaptation measures such as financing air conditioning or shading possible only under very difficult conditions.