Expert advice on climate issues

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The expert advice on Climate Change , including Climate Council is a based on the German federal Climate Change Act furnished (KSG) in August 2020 committee , which by the Federal Environment Agency submitted emission data reviewed and the federal government and the German Bundestag a risk assessment submitted to the published data.

tasks

The tasks of the Expert Council are set out in Section 12 KSG. Therefore:

  • the committee examines the emission data submitted by the Federal Environment Agency and submits an assessment of the published data to the federal government and the Bundestag,
  • The Expert Council examines assumptions on greenhouse gas reduction on which the immediate measures planned by the Federal Government are based, with which it intends to react to exceeding annual emissions in accordance with § 8 KSG,
  • it gives its opinion on assumptions about the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are based on changes planned by the federal government in the annual emission quantities of the sectors, updates of the climate protection plan and resolutions of climate protection programs,
  • it can be commissioned by the federal government or the Bundestag to prepare special reports.

More extensive powers, such as the examination of the federal government's climate protection report , which were still provided for in the KSG's draft bill , were not included in the final version of the KSG by the government's climate cabinet. This means that the powers of the Climate Council lag behind those of similar bodies, such as those of the British Committee on Climate Change , which, according to the KSG's justification, should be a model for the Expert Council. According to environmental lawyer Juliane Albrecht, the main task of the council remains the examination of emission data in accordance with Section 12 (1) KSG. The data are created by the Federal Environment Agency in accordance with Section 5, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the KSG annually by mid-March at the latest and sent to the Council; the Expert Council then submits an assessment of the data to the Federal Government and the German Bundestag within one month. These emission data include the greenhouse gases , the § 2 KSG as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ) as well as partially fluorinated hydrocarbons (HFC) and perfluorinated ones Defined hydrocarbons (PFCs).

On the occasion of the first convening of the body in August 2020, Brigitte Knopf , who was appointed to the Expert Council, said : “It is not enough to just set goals in the fight against global warming. Goals must also be backed up with measures. The expert council will look annually to see whether they are sufficient. "

composition

The composition results from Section 11 (1) KSG: “An expert council for climate issues will be set up from five experts from various disciplines. The Federal Government appoints the members for a period of five years, of which at least one member with excellent scientific knowledge and experience in one of the areas of climate science , economics , environmental science and social issues. ”The Expert Council as a whole should include specialist knowledge for the reduction targets of the KSG "Map" sectors, ie for energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, waste management and others. Women and men should be represented equally, members can be reappointed once.

In August 2020, the following scientists were appointed to the Expert Council:

aims

In particular, the Expert Council should examine the Federal Government's annual climate protection targets at the level of individual economic sectors . According to Brigitte Knopf, the aim is to provide a basis for the debate .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Juliane Albrecht: The Federal Climate Protection Act - Background, regulatory structure and essential content . In: Nature and Law . tape 42 , 2020, p. 377-378 , doi : 10.1007 / s10357-020-3692-3 (open access).
  2. ^ Johannes Saurer: Basic structures of the Federal Climate Protection Act . In: Nature and Law . tape 42 , 2020, p. 436 , doi : 10.1007 / s10357-020-3703-4 (open access).
  3. MCC General Secretary Brigitte Knopf appointed to the Expert Council on Climate Issues. Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change on August 20, 2020, August 12, 2020, accessed on August 14, 2020 .
  4. Federal government appoints expert council for climate issues. Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, August 12, 2020, accessed on August 14, 2020 .
  5. Stefan Römermann in conversation with Brigitte Knopf: “Less car traffic brought the most” , Deutschlandfunk website. August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.