Exploring the costs and challenges of the EU's Green Deal, including the backlash from anti-green political parties. Discussions with dairy farmers in the Netherlands, concerns over phasing out gas and oil boilers in Germany, and the impact on politics and climate change.
The rising public backlash and concerns over costs associated with the EU's Green Deal are causing the consensus on urgent action to reduce emissions to fall apart.
The implementation of green policies that are financially feasible for ordinary people is challenging, as seen in the controversy and opposition to the German government's law banning new gas and oil boilers.
Deep dives
The Green Deal and Public Backlash
The adoption of the Green Deal in the European Union aimed to cut emissions, transition to a climate neutral continent, and make significant policy changes. However, the consensus on urgent action to reduce emissions is now falling apart due to rising public backlash and concerns over the costs associated with the Green Deal.
Resistance to Green Policies in Germany
The introduction of a new law known as the Heating Hammer, which aimed to ban new gas and oil boilers, sparked controversy and opposition from citizens who couldn't afford the cost of installing heat pumps. The German government was forced to water down the regulations, highlighting the challenges of implementing green policies in a way that is financially feasible for ordinary people.
Dutch Dairy Farmers and the Green Transition
The Dutch government's emission reduction targets for agriculture, including a drastic reduction in dairy farms, have caused resentment and protests among farmers. The policies are seen as unfairly targeting farmers and jeopardizing their livelihoods. The rise of political parties like the Farmer Citizen Movement reflects the discontent and concerns over the impact of green policies on rural areas and traditional industries.
As the individual costs of the EU’s Green Deal are becoming clearer, many people across Europe say they are unwilling or unable to pay the price associated with it. Anna Holligan explores the increasing popularity of anti-green political parties across the continent. She talks to dairy farmers in the Netherlands, who fear government green targets would endanger a sector which makes the country the world's second biggest exporter of food. She also travels to Bremen in Germany where concern over the phasing out of new gas and oil boilers for houses, dubbed the “heating hammer” by the nation’s tabloids, has lead to the government slowing down the pace of change.
In the meantime, the city’s Green Party vote fell by almost half in recent local elections while Citizens in Rage, which is highly sceptical about how green deal policies are being implemented, came from almost nowhere to capture close to ten per cent of the vote. The experiences in both countries suggests that the political consensus that seemed to exist only four years ago when the EU announced its Green Deal targets seems to have broken down. What might the possible repercussions be on Europe’s politics and its approach to tackling climate change?
Produced by Bob Howard.
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