Survey: Nearly half of Germans unhappy with Berlin's climate policy

Almost every second German thinks that the federal government is doing too little to protect the climate, according to a survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of dpa.

Of the respondents, 48% held the view that the centre-left government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was not doing enough to combat global warming. In contrast, 35% were satisfied. The rest did not give an answer.

Scholz’s three-party coalition includes his Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP).

The dissatisfaction with Berlin’s climate policy was particularly high among Green voters, coming in at 78%. Among FDP voters, on the other hand, the proportion of dissatisfied voters is not even half that, at 37%.

According to the survey, 47% of SPD voters think that the government is not doing enough while only 36% are satisfied.

Last week, in a move that upset many Greens and pleased those in the FDP, the three parties agreed to ease some climate protection laws and to invest billions to improve both the rail and road networks.

The online survey by YouGov questioned 2,035 people in Germany and took place between March 30 and April 4. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 18 and over.

Meanwhile, a member of the federal government spoke out against allowing climate activists from the Last Generation group to hold talks in classrooms.

Broadly, the group advocates for more effective climate policy to prevent imminent “climate collapse,” but its immediate demands are quite simple: A speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour on German motorways and a permanent €9 ticket for buses and trains.

The activists have sparked controversy across Germany in recent months for their provocative protest actions, including glueing themselves to roadways, abseiling from motorway bridges and throwing food at a painting by Claude Monet.

German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, in comments to Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper, said many of the Last Generation movement continued to commit criminal offences and were spreading scepticism about representative democracy.

While such ideas could be critically debated and contextualized in classrooms, “no one who represents such ideas should be given the red carpet in a school,” Buschmann, who is from the FDP, said.

On Tuesday, Last Generation activists had spoken of plans to systematically approach pupils, particularly those in their final years, Welt am Sonntag reported.

Heinz-Peter Meidinger, President of the German Teachers’ Association, said a red line would be crossed if “school administrators or teachers invite organizations and speakers to school who explicitly promote participation in illegal actions and use the school as a recruitment scene.”

Last Generation has announced it is planning major protest actions in Berlin during the last week of April and into May.

“From Monday, April 24, we will peacefully bring Berlin to a standstill through street blockades,” said the activists on the group’s website.