Following February’s federal election in Germany, which saw a marked rightward shift among voters, there has been a notable evolution in the country’s environmental and climate discourse. While the Green Party, long associated with progressive internationalism and climate activism, was relegated to opposition status, new voices within the conservative camp are embracing environmentalism through a distinctly patriotic lens.

This development comes amid a political backdrop where voters expressed resistance to certain ambitious climate policies, such as expensive regulations on domestic heating systems. The incoming Christian Democrat-led government faces the challenge of advancing Germany’s energy transition and adhering to the legally enshrined target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Friedrich Merz, the presumptive Christian Democrat chancellor, and other mainstream conservatives have been critical of aspects of prior green policies during the election campaign. Nonetheless, the necessity of decarbonising the German economy remains, driven by European Union mandates and the global shift toward electrification, renewable energy, and resource efficiency — trends that align with broader transformations in global trade and industrial strategy.

Among the emergent voices on the political right is the environmental organisation Heimatwurzeln (“homeland roots”), which positions climate protection as an expression of patriotism rather than as a progressive cause. Florian Wagner, executive director of Heimatwurzeln, reflected on his personal connection to conservative politics and environmental stewardship, recalling how in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2021 floods in Germany’s Ahr Valley, he helped clear debris in his hometown. “Environment and climate protection are not the opposite of patriotism, they are its expression,” Wagner told an audience at a recent event in Berlin.

Heimatwurzeln promotes a narrative intended to resonate with what it defines as “nostalgic conservatives,” the “pragmatic middle class,” and the “precarious milieu”—demographics that have shown susceptibility to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s criticisms targeting renewable energy initiatives like wind turbines and electric cars. The group argues that transitioning to renewable energy will reduce Germany’s dependence on unstable imports, support rural prosperity, and benefit average citizens rather than corporations.

Daniel Müller, Heimatwurzeln’s policy director and a former speechwriter for Christian Democrat Volker Bouffier, emphasises that inclusive climate action is crucial: “Climate action is too important to exclude 40% of German society from it.” Müller believes it remains possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, provided that conservatives from across democratic parties coalesce to support effective climate policies.

Supporting this perspective, Gitta Connemann, a member of the German Bundestag, gave a speech at the Heimatwurzeln event in Berlin, highlighting the Christian Democrats’ historical engagement with environmental issues. She noted that Germany’s first environment minister, Walter Wallmann, was from the Christian Democrat party, and that the “preservation of creation” forms part of the party’s foundational principles. Connemann advocated for climate policies that are practical and beneficial to professions such as firefighters, craftsmen, and employees of medium-sized enterprises. She criticised the outgoing centre-left government for indulging in what she described as “daydreams” centred on the expansive growth of renewables, which currently generate around two-thirds of Germany’s electricity.

Within the Christian Democrats, the KlimaUnion faction has emerged as an influential proponent of maintaining robust climate policies. Shortly after coalition negotiations began in mid-March, KlimaUnion released a report authored by esteemed conservative legal scholars arguing that Germany’s existing climate policies cannot be discarded without scientifically grounded replacements, warning that simply abolishing these laws would be “unconstitutional.” Mark Helfrich, the group’s deputy chair, has been appointed as a member of the coalition negotiation team alongside Andreas Jung, who had been considered a candidate for the energy and economic affairs ministry.

The prominence of climate action in the new coalition government’s agenda signals a mainstreaming of environmental policy across the political spectrum. The coalition agreement between the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats explicitly affirms the aim to remain an industrialised nation while achieving climate neutrality. This commitment extends to existing legislation with Green Party origins, such as the Building Energy Act, which mandates climate-friendly heating systems; while the law’s more burdensome elements will be moderated, the forthcoming government does not intend to repeal it entirely.

The realignment of environmental advocacy on the German right, along with the continuation of climate policies within a centre-right-led coalition, exemplifies the evolving landscape of climate politics in Germany — one that balances economic, regional, and national interests alongside ecological imperatives.

Source: Noah Wire Services