Dear climate protectors, we have already announced it and are now very pleased: The financial policy spokesman for the Green Party in the state parliament of Baden Württemberg, Dr. Markus Rösler MdL (see picture below the article), was happy to answer a few questions about this important topic.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank him for taking the time. So here is the interview - let's go!

Mr. Rösler, thinking about sustainability and finance together is a major challenge. How do you approach this issue? How do you decide when financial spending by the country is 'sustainable'?

Dr. Markus Rösler MdL:

First, we generally prioritize what we consider to be sustainable spending, e.g., on education, renewable energy, nature conservation, public transportation, etc. We are also aligning our procurement with sustainability criteria.

Secondly, in 2023, we have just become the second German state to pass a law for sustainable investments: 17 billion euros, especially in the pension reserves, will thus only be invested in companies that comply with the Sustainability Goals (17 SDGs) and the UN Convention on Human Rights, the environmental goals of the EU taxonomy and the 1.5 degree target.

In addition, companies that earn their profits from nuclear power, green genetic engineering or the cultivation and sale of tobacco products are excluded from the country's investment decision. And investments in particularly corrupt states and dictatorships are also excluded. After all, around 20% of the companies in the Eurostoxx thus fall outside the options for investing money.

Thirdly, we have already passed two climate protection laws in the legislature since 2021 and introduced a climate proviso for the state's funding programs, which means that every funding program in the state is first checked for its climate impact before it can be approved.

I personally also advocate a reduction in the use of synthetic pesticides by at least 40-50% by 2030 and an expansion of organic farming by at least 30-40% on the basis of cooperation between agriculture and nature conservation.30-40%, that organic model regions and organic canteens are promoted, that nature conservation funds are increased (from 30 million euros in 2011 to 115 million euros in 2024). In addition, the Voluntary Ecological Year will be increased and Education for Sustainable Development including nature education will be promoted, and the project "Competence Center Biodiversity and Taxonomy", i.e. the teaching of species knowledge at the University of Hohenheim, the natural history museums in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, and the Environmental Academy BW has been established.

What is the biggest challenge you face here?

Dr. Markus Rösler MdL:

In all honesty, we are already in conflict with our coalition partner on the topic of transportation and the trade-off between road construction and public transportation. We rely much more on reallocating funds for public transport, the youth ticket and cycle paths - which is not always possible to the extent we would like.

What do you think the country's most urgent sustainable investments need to be? And what is your position on the issue of "debt"?

Dr. Markus Rösler MdL:

Without question, the country's most urgent sustainable investments are related to climate change. To this end, we must continue to reallocate funds and invest additional resources, particularly in the transport sector.

The Ministry of the Environment with Thekla Walker will begin work on a flood and drought strategy at the same time in the 2023 budget year. A flood like the one in the Ahr Valley should not and must not be repeated - to achieve this, we must renaturalize water bodies, create additional floodplains. At the same time, we need to make forests, agriculture and fruit-growing more resistant to drought, and (inner) cities more resistant to hot spells - in other words, we need more greening in cities, and we need to change the way we build and live.

As for debt: every euro of debt brings interest burdens for future generations, every year. The ECB has just raised the key interest rate to 3.5%. Loans are becoming more expensive again. So on the one hand, we already have to invest as much as possible in sustainable developments. On the other hand, apart from the formal debt brake, which is more stringently formulated in the states than in the federal government, I believe we must not make the mistake of rendering future generations virtually incapable of acting by imposing repayment obligations.

When we came to power in the state in 2011, the state budget was around 40 billion euros, of which 5% (!) were repayment obligations. That is not sustainable and deprived us of two billion euros of room for maneuver for the future. I don't want to leave something like that to my successors. At present, we have a state budget of around 60 billion euros, including 2% in repayment obligations - and this will increase again in the next few years anyway due to rising interest rates.

What else would you like to give the young people at klima-community.de? What is your main message on sustainable business as a state politician?

Dr. Markus Rösler MdL:

We have to be honest with ourselves: From a global perspective, we will not achieve the goals of the energy transition and sustainability without sufficiency. Our prosperity is only possible because other people are not doing as well as we are, and some are doing very badly. We therefore first need a major public debate about quality of life and lifestyle. Products of any kind should be repairable - there are pleasing, but too few developments towards this.

And it must be clear to us - already since 1972: There are limits to growth on this planet. It is not bad for us humans if there is (partly with the support of the economy) less food waste, less meat, less returns when ordering on the internet and if there are, then no destruction of these goods, less energy consumption through lower room temperatures.... The legislator can prescribe a lot, theoretically. But in practice, we need people to understand this, their willingness to participate - both among business leaders and multipliers in society, and among all of us ourselves.

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We from Klima Community e.V. can only absolutely share this conclusion - that is exactly why this platform exists. We thank Dr. Rösler MdL thus again cordially for this interesting view!

Soon you will learn more about this topic - from a completely different direction. Be curious!

Otherwise, as always: You have questions, topics, suggestions? Share them with us, share them here, bring your climate protection topics together here.

Let's do it!