Armand Zorn, the Vice Chief of the SPD Parliamentary Group, has dismissed accusations that the coalition’s new heating law abandons climate protection within the building sector. Speaking to the “Funke” media group, Zorn stated that the building sector must achieve climate neutrality by 2045, with new constructions needed no later than 2030. According to him, the strategy for achieving climate neutrality gives people greater freedom while simultaneously holding them more accountable for climate protection and strengthening tenancy laws.
The SPD politician argued that the compromise reached for the heating law, which is proceeding along agreed-upon coalition lines, provides planning certainty for tradespeople, property owners, and tenants, thereby increasing acceptance of climate protection measures. He also stressed that the overall framework of the federal Climate Protection Act remains in effect.
Zorn countered the critique by noting that the expert council for climate issues currently believes that the government’s existing climate measures will likely be insufficient to reach the mandated goals of the Climate Protection Act.
However, the draft heating law, presented by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche (CDU), allows for the installation and operation of fossil-fuel heating systems beyond 2045. Critics argue this contradicts the Climate Protection Act, which sets Germany’s goal for climate neutrality by 2045, and challenges even the Basic Law. Nevertheless, the continued operation of fossil boilers after 2045 is viewed as unlikely by current EU plans, principally because the European Emissions Trading Scheme for buildings and transport (EU ETS-2) is set to discontinue issuing new CO2 certificates beforehand.
It is worth noting that experts had previously criticized the initial agreement, pointing out that it failed to allow for the achievement of sectoral climate targets for buildings. As a result, the coalition has since reduced incentives for landlords installing oil or gas boilers; they are now required to cover a portion of the operating costs after installing new fossil heating systems.
