Climate-Alliance Germany
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Climate-Alliance Germany (german: Klima-Allianz Deutschland) is a network of about 150 civil society organizations, including environment groups, development groups, churches, organisations from the fields of youth, education, culture, social welfare and health, as well as trade unions, and consumer associations. Founded in 2007, the aim of the Alliance is to provide a common front to apply pressure to German decision-makers to adopt socially just climate action measures. Prominent members include WWF, BUND (or Friends of the Earth Germany), and the trade union
ver.di (''Verdi'' (stylized as ''ver.di''; vɛʁdiː; German: ''United Services Trade Union'') is a German trade union based in Berlin, Germany. It was established on 19 March 2001 as the result of a merger of five individual unions and is a memb ...
. A key issue for the Alliance is the prevention of new coal-fired power plants (the Anti-Coal Campaign). The Alliance wants the German government to phase-out coal (''Kohleausstieg'') and promote renewable energy.


Activities


Coordination of Climate Protection Plan 2050 and Programme of Measures 2030

Coordinated by Climate Alliance Germany, more than 50 organisations published the "Climate Protection Plan 2050 of German Civil Society" in November 2016 as a result of a broad participation process. In it, they call for more ambitious climate protection targets and legal binding force. As a national response to the Paris Climate Agreement, the German government had previously published its Climate Protection Plan 2050, which was criticised by Climate Alliance Germany as insufficient. Climate Alliance Germany then coordinated the "Climate Protection 2030 Action Programme of German Civil Society". More than sixty organisations from across the spectrum of civil society describe in the extensive demands paper the measures they see as necessary in all fields of
climate policy The politics of climate change results from different perspectives on how to respond to climate change. Global warming is driven largely by the emissions of greenhouse gases due to human economic activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels, ...
in order for Germany to achieve its climate target of 2030. The central demands are an early exit from coal, the rapid implementation of changes in the transport and agricultural sectors, and an ambitious price for . Both projects were funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment.


Berlin Climate Talks

Since November 2015, Climate Alliance Germany has hosted the Berlin Climate Talks on changing topics several times a year. The events take place in cooperation with its member organisations. The panel guests have already included several federal ministers, state secretaries and party leaders. The first event was dedicated to civil society proposals for a more climate-friendly air transport concept for Germany.


Anti-Coal Campaign

Climate Alliance Germany advocates an ambitious
coal phase-out Coal phase-out is an environmental policy intended to stop using the combustion of coal in coal-burning power plants, and is part of fossil fuel phase-out. Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, therefore phasing it out is critical ...
. The reduction of coal generation and coal mining is a key element in meeting German and international climate targets and achieving the necessary
decarbonisation Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels bur ...
in terms of effective
climate protection Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...
. For this reason, the Alliance demands that no new opencast mines be approved. Existing opencast mines in the
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...
lignite mining area, in
Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...
and in Central Germany are not to be expanded but reduced in size. The structural change in the
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
regions must be actively shaped politically and financially secured, for example through a structural change fund. In cooperation with local and regional groups, Climate Alliance Germany is also committed to the preservation of villages and landscapes threatened by opencast mining. In order to achieve these goals, the Alliance has made the legal, economic and social aspects of the commercial use of coal a priority issue. In political talks, demand papers, expert reports and studies, Climate Alliance Germany points out the dangers of coal-fired power generation for the climate, environment and health. In addition, it creates public attention through media reports, events, actions and demonstrations. From 2008 to 2013, Climate Alliance Germany organized an anti-coal campaign to prevent new coal-fired power plants in Germany. The Alliance coordinated and supported civil society activities. As a result of the campaign in cooperation with citizens' initiatives, environmental associations and activists from various sectors of society, 17 climate-damaging coal-fired power plant projects were stopped during this period. Following a
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
protest against
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
mining in the
Lausitz Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...
in September 2013, a petition of 112,157 signatures in support was handed to the Lausitz authorities. Daniela Setton, an energy policy speaker from the Alliance, commented that it was the most successful collection of signatures against a new German opencast mine ever. In July 2014 the Alliance co-authored and co-published a report on the top 30 most polluting coal-fired power plants in Europe and called for their decommissioning. In July 2016, the Alliance, together with BUND, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the
Rosa Luxemburg Foundation The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (german: Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung), named in recognition of Rosa Luxemburg, occasionally referred to as ''Rosa-Lux'', is a transnational alternative policy lobby group and educational institution, centered in Germa ...
released a report on the aftermath of
lignite Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, combustible, sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35%, and is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its relatively low heat ...
mining in Germany. The report, co-authored by , argues that the financial resources needed to remedy the damage caused by lignite mining are not adequately backed up by the existing mining operators
Vattenfall Vattenfall is a Swedish multinational power company owned by the Swedish State. Beyond Sweden, the company generates power in Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The company's name is Swedish for "waterfall", and ...
(who later sold its lignite-fired plants and mines to EPH),
RWE RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen. It generates and trades electricity in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. The company is Europe's most climate threatening Company, the world's number two in offsh ...
, and .


Climate Manifesto

The Climate Manifesto is a
manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...
initiated by Climate Alliance Germany in 2016 describing a vision of the climate movement. The text calls on politicians and society to work for a world that is oriented towards the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the
global goals for sustainable development The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
. The member organisations of Climate Alliance Germany were involved in its creation. The manifesto identifies climate change and the high consumption of
natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...
s as global and urgent challenges that can only be met through joint efforts. It emphasises that the problems of a globalised world with extreme injustice and inequality can only be solved through global cooperation and solidarity. The industrialised countries, which have built up their prosperity on the basis of fossil fuels and have thus significantly caused climate change, have a special responsibility in this respect. The climate manifesto was presented in September 2016 at a festive event on the meadow in front of the
Reichstag building The Reichstag (, ; officially: – ; en, Parliament) is a historic government building in Berlin which houses the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany's parliament. It was constructed to house the Imperial Diet (german: Reichstag) of the ...
in Berlin. Ahead of the Bundestag elections in the following year, leaders of the parties represented in the
Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
were also invited.


Networking and training

In addition to activist activities, the Alliance mediates and maintains the substantive and tactical networks of its member organizations and with other civil society actors. In addition, Climate Alliance Germany offers its members opportunities for further development, for example through specific seminars.


Global Climate Day of Action

From 2007 to 2015, Climate Alliance Germany organised nationwide demonstrations for the annual Global Climate Day of Action. The goal was to protest at the lack of environmental awareness in politics and the economy and to encourage climate protection measures. Alliance spokesperson Katharina Reuter, in an interview with
Deutschlandfunk Deutschlandfunk (DLF, ''Broadcast Germany'') is a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, concentrating on news and current affairs. It is one of the four national radio channels produced by Deutschlandradio. History Broadcasting in the ...
in December 2011, criticized the exit by
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
from the
Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...
.


Alternative Energy Summit

The Alliance organized an Alternative Energy Summit annually from 2010 to 2015 where energy and climate policy issues were discussed. In an April 2016 media report about the future of
RWE RWE AG is a German multinational energy company headquartered in Essen. It generates and trades electricity in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States. The company is Europe's most climate threatening Company, the world's number two in offsh ...
, an Alliance expert stated that the power company had become completely unprofitable after failing to adapt to the German Energiewende.


Organization

Fundamental political decisions are made in a plenum that meets at least twice a year. The secretariat is responsible for implementing the resolutions in coordination with a "speakers' council" made up of up to ten representatives from member organizations, who are elected in a plenary session. The "speakers' council" makes decisions between the plena and determines the annual plan. Climate Alliance Germany has been a non-profit, registered association since 2022. Previously, from 2014 to 2021, its legal entity was the Forum Ecological-Social Market Economy. The budget (2022: around 956,000 euros) is covered by income from project funds and membership fees. Since January 2023, Climate Alliance Germany receives institutional funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. Projects are currently (2023) funded the Mercator Foundation, the Allianz Foundation and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. About 15 per cent of the budget is achieved through membership fees, plus donations of a small amount. Past projects have also been funded by the European Climate Foundation, the Children's Investment Fund, the DBU, the Federal Project Management Jülich and other foundations.


See also

*
Climate Action Network Climate Action Network - International (CAN) is a global network of over 1,300 environmental non-governmental organisations in over 130 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecolog ...
– an umbrella group for environmental NGOs active on climate change * *
The Climate Reality Project The Climate Reality Project is a non-profit organization involved in education and advocacy related to climate change. The Climate Reality Project came into being in July 2011 as the consolidation of two environmental groups, the Alliance for Cli ...
– a non-profit organization involved in climate change education and advocacy *
VENRO VENRO (Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs) is the umbrella organisation of development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Germany. The organisation was founded in 1995 and consists of 124 members. Their background ...
(Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs)


References


External links


Climate-Alliance Germany website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Climate-Alliance Germany Climate change in Germany Climate change organizations Energy in Germany Transition Environmental organisations based in Germany Environmental organizations established in 2007 Renewable energy in Germany Supraorganizations