In light of the historically low water levels, Green Party leader Felix Banaszak is urging the federal government to focus more heavily on addressing the root causes of the problem and increasing climate protection efforts. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, Banaszak pointed out, “The rivers are running dry. Ships cannot sail. And the new Minister of Transport can’t come up with anything other than deeper channels and other types of vessels.” However, he stressed that these measures are insufficient. He criticized the government, saying it was telling that everything is being discussed except climate protection. The Green Party chairman noted that Minister Bilger failed to propose any ideas for reducing CO2 emissions, which he felt should have been within the minister’s purview.
Banaszak asserted, “It’s always the same thing: instead of dealing with the causes, the federal government is applying band-aids to increasingly massive wounds.” He argued that this reflects a continuation of a policy where the largest fossil energy crisis in decades is being met with fossil subsidies, rather than reducing the dependence on fossil fuels. According to Banaszak, without tackling the underlying causes of humanity’s climate crisis, the problems cannot be solved permanently. He concluded, “If the Rhine ever stops carrying water altogether, deeper channels and other ship types will be useless. The people deserve a different kind of politics.”
