France 2.0? Police Brutally Beat Protesters As German Enviro Minister To Boost Fuel Prices

Is Germany blindly following President Emmanuel Macron in agitating its citizens with plans to impose higher fuel and heating oil taxes?

German flagship daily Die Welt here recently reported Germany’s Environment Minister Svenja Schulze has a plan for the country to meet its 2030 climate targets.

According to Die Welt, it involves single sectors such as transportation, agriculture or energy having to comply with “binding requirements to save CO2.” Die Welt writes the proposal would make heating oil and diesel fuel expensive.

Recently Minister Schulze said in a speech her Ministry is cooperating with the powerful Ministry of Finance. However, stiff opposition is already mounting, and denials are surfacing.

According to Die Welt: ‘There are no thoughts about introducing a new pricing on CO2,’ a spokesman for the Finance Ministry said on Friday.”

Schulze says it’s time to tax

Die Welt reports that Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU party so far has rejected applying taxes to CO2. But Schulze remains insistent: “Are we serious about climate protection or do we continue muddling through and arguing about each and every tonne of CO2?”

Climate and environmental protection activists see taxes on CO2 as an effective instrument to achieve reductions. However, the loudness of the protests in France and Belgium appears to have taken German and European lawmakers by surprise, and so they will likely move with far greater caution.

Proponents feel that a tax on CO2 would help make electric mobility more attractive. Die Welt writes that the government’s aim is to have 65% of the electricity supply come from renewable energies by 2030.

Macron backs down

In France, President Macron is facing a serious backlash from citizens for proposing higher taxes on energy. Macron has since been forced to put the tax hikes on hold in response to the unexpectedly raucous uprising across the country.

Die Welt writes “Germany has given up on its 2020 climate target, but hopes to reach a 55% reduction by 2030.” So far Germany is about halfway there.

Most of the German CO2 reductions came in the wake of shutting down rundown, former communist East German industry in the wake of the 1990 German reunification.

Over the past 9 years, however, Germany has not reduced CO2 equivalent emissions at all. As the French show, making targets is easy but reaching them is a very different story.

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