The German Greens get under the wheels at the traffic light

Hardly a day goes by in Berlin that the parties in the ruling traffic light coalition don’t get into each other’s hair, and usually in public. The Greens and the FDP in particular love bickering, especially when it comes to climate protection. In the coalition agreement, the liberals agreed with the ambitious objectives. Now they cross.

For example, FDP Transport Minister Volker Wissing refuses to present an immediate program to reduce emissions, as required by the Climate Protection Act, despite missing climate targets. Wissing previously blocked the ban on combustion cars in the EU from 2035 until he managed to push through exceptions for vehicles running on e-fuels.

Traffic is probably a hot topic in the car country of Germany. The FDP also approved only with reservations the ban on new gas and oil heating systems (with exceptions) from next year, which the coalition agreed in a marathon meeting. In a survey, almost 80 percent of the population rejects this law.

“No more is possible”

This has repercussions on the morale of the German Greens. You are number two in the government and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. But now they often feel run over and marginalised, not only by the FDP, but also by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his SPD.

At the end of March, the three parties tried to join forces at the increasingly poor functioning traffic lights. In the end, the meeting of the coalition committee lasted no less than 30 hours. And the Greens stood there as losers. “More is not possible in this coalition”, a remorseful Habeck had to admit in a video message.

Downhill in polls

In most polls, the Greens, who just thought they were heading for the Chancellery, are in third place, behind the CDU/CSU and SPD. Robert Habeck’s approval ratings have also suffered. Last summer he was the most popular politician, although or because he had to prepare the Germans for a harsh winter.

This did not happen. Habeck managed to free Germany from its deadly dependence on Russian natural gas in record time. However, the vice chancellor drops in the ranking, “although Germany did not suffer a blackout in winter, no apartment remained cold, although the gas storage tanks are well stocked and energy prices are falling,” according to the “Spiegel”.

Scholz as a stimulus figure

The magazine from Hamburg devoted a cover story to the “diminishment of the Greens”. Because the long-popular Secretary of State Annalena Baerbock is also falling behind in the polls. Clear number one is the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), who convinces with his hands-on character. Olaf Scholz also represents the green duo.

The eco-party in particular is at odds with the Chancellor. Because Scholz feels closer to the FDP than to the Greens for several reasons. The Liberals “pay” their participation in a “left-wing” government with defeats in state elections. The chancellor must take this into account. He is also ideologically better off with the FDP than with the Greens.

The eternal climate party

For Olaf Scholz, they are not only partners, but rivals for left-wing voter dominance. Habeck and Baerbock make no secret of their ambitions to succeed him. The man from Hamburg has nothing to fear from FDP leader and finance minister Christian Lindner. This causes extra hassle at traffic lights.

The “Mirror” mentioned another problem:

The image of a stubborn “ban party” clings stubbornly to the German Greens, and they are not innocent of that. The best example is the nuclear exit that was finally completed a week ago with the closure of the last three nuclear power plants. The German population supported him for a long time, but clearly rejected him in recent polls.

Nevertheless, Minister of Economic Affairs Habeck pulled him through. The opposition criticized: “This green climate minister prefers to run coal-fired power stations – the ultimate climate killer, CO₂Dirt spinners – as climate neutral,” lamented former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) on RTL: “It is a black day for climate protection in Germany.”

Coal instead of nuclear energy

It was the longtime CDU chancellor, Angela Merkel, who declared the nuclear phaseout decided by the former red-green government and by Putin’s friend Gerhard Schröder as a final goal after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Yet Spahn hits a sore point, because the coal-fired power plants will continue to operate until at least 2030.

Such “climatic” contradictions do not help the Greens. At the end of 2021, the traffic light started with great speed. Soon after came the war in Ukraine and the associated “turning point”. They have increased the already great need for security among the German population. This makes it difficult to take major steps in the field of climate protection.

Harder and more power-conscious

Some things resolve themselves, for example in traffic. E-fuels are too expensive to power cars. The future is electric, also because Tesla and the little-known but innovative Chinese manufacturers are warming up the German car industry. Heat pumps will also gain the upper hand over oil and gas heating systems.

Still, many greens have a quarrel with reds and yellows. Even exponents of the party’s left wing shy away from breaking up the coalition. It is better to achieve little for the climate than nothing at all, is the motto. However, some exponents demand that the party become tougher and more power-conscious. So that the Greens do not get completely under the wheels.