Billions for the climate: Germany's surprising Green victory

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🗞️ Driving the news: Germany’s Green Party secured a major victory by ensuring €100 billion of a new €500 billion investment package goes to climate projects
• The funding deal was necessary for Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz’s coalition, requiring Green Party support to amend the constitution
• The agreement explicitly links infrastructure investments to achieving climate neutrality by 2045

🔭 The context: Germany’s new coalition, led by the CDU and SPD, aims to take on significant debt for infrastructure development
• The Greens, despite their election losses, used their leverage to prioritise climate funding
• Previous efforts to reallocate COVID-19 relief funds for climate projects were struck down by the courts, making this new funding a crucial win

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The agreement ensures large-scale investment in Germany’s transition to climate neutrality, setting a precedent for integrating climate goals into national infrastructure plans
• Critics worry this could lead to legal challenges over whether all infrastructure spending must prioritise climate targets
• The deal strengthens Germany’s commitment to long-term emissions reductions despite political shifts

⏭️ What's next: The constitutional amendment still needs approval from both chambers of parliament. Legal experts debate whether the wording establishes climate neutrality as a binding national objective
If passed, the funding will accelerate Germany’s clean energy transition and infrastructure modernisation

💬 One quote: "There will be a large number of lawsuits on the grounds that these investments would run counter to the 2045 climate protection target." – Wolfgang Kubicki, FDP politician

📈 One stat: Germany’s new investment plan will add €500 billion in debt, with €100 billion earmarked for climate projects.

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