Germany climate amendment plan splits coalition

A proposal by German Social Democratic ministers to put climate adaptation and nature conservation into the constitution has exposed divisions inside Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition.

The SPD proposal, seen by AFP, would enshrine a “joint mission for climate adaptation and nature conservation” in Germany's Basic Law. It also outlines a national heat action plan, changes to urban planning laws and construction codes, and new labour laws for working in high temperatures.

The SPD is the junior coalition partner to Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc. SPD sources in Berlin said the proposal is intended to prepare for debate at an upcoming cabinet retreat this month.

Key figures in the CDU/CSU pushed back against the idea, warning about possible costs. Klaus Mack, deputy chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, did not reject the idea outright but raised concerns about fiscal implications and how responsibilities would be divided between ministries.

“Only a concrete proposal will show whether amending the Basic Law makes sense,” Mack told AFP. CDU climate policy spokesman Mark Helfrich told Politico that conservatives “are not convinced” by the idea of new joint funding.

Support from Merz's conservatives would be essential because changing the Basic Law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. The SPD document says the amendment would let Berlin fund and direct long-term climate projects in areas that Germany's federal system normally leaves to local and regional governments.

The opposition Greens said they would be ready to support the idea. The far-left Die Linke dismissed it as “empty promises”, while the far-right AfD rejected it.

The debate comes during a European heatwave, with climate scientists saying global warming is intensifying drought and wildfires, lowering river levels and threatening harvests in Germany.