Steffi Lemke, the new German environment minister, plans to put emphasis on reconciling nature conservation and climate protection during the impending massive rollout windpower. Speaking to the Sddeutsche ZeitungThe Green Party member stated that she could see wind turbines being allowed in areas of woodland that have been destroyed or in monoculture forests. Both crises must be solved. It is not a win-win situation to play one against the other. She continued: “We also recognize that industrial agriculture is the greatest threat of biodiversity. Nobody would ever say that agriculture will cease. This is how it should work with the expansion in renewables. We are doomed. It is possible, but not without conflicts. Lemke spoke out about the difficulty of reconciling economic interests and environmental policy in Germany. He said that Germany had long ago reached the point where ecological crises threatened the foundations for economic activity. Federal government has the responsibility to protect the natural foundations for life and people. That is the essence of politics. It doesn’t worry me.
Lemke explained that CO2 is another example of combining nature protection and climate protection. We will renaturalize moors and create more natural forests. We will also store more water to prevent droughts. This will help protect and strengthen biodiversity. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUV), which is now primarily responsible for climate protection in Germany, has seen its responsibilities diminished.
Germany’s new government has pledged to massively expand renewable energy sources. Conservationists are concerned that the plans will lead to the destruction of nature.