Berlin (epd). The environmental association WWF has criticized the support for companies in the energy crisis since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The relief would have been counterproductive in terms of climate policy, the WWF announced on Saturday in Berlin on the occasion of the publication of a new analysis of the relief packages. In particular, the additional aid for industrial companies lacks the consistent agreement on consideration, such as ambitious plans to reduce CO2 emissions or efficiency measures.
“The state helped companies in the energy crisis – but not the climate. On the contrary,” complained Viviane Raddatz, head of climate at WWF Germany. The traffic light coalition had “missed a great opportunity for transformation”.
The Federal Government’s relief packages for industry to compensate for high energy costs have so far lacked consistent climate protection, it said. The WWF also called for climate and environmental goals to be anchored in the federal budget in the future. Government spending should be “subjected to a kind of stress test for its environmental and climate impacts,” the environmental association demanded. Subsidies should be more targeted and “less scattered”. The focus must be on energy-intensive companies.
In response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the resulting increase in energy prices, the German government launched several relief programs to mitigate the consequences for households and companies. The Forum Ecological-Social Market Economy (FÖS) analyzed the aid to industry on behalf of the WWF.