San Francisco Frontiers - Germany's coalition split over putting climate in constitution

The debate is heating up at a time climate scientists say global warming is intensifying drought and wildfires, dropping river levels and threatening harvests in Europe's biggest economy.

Ministers from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), junior coalition partners to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives, are pushing the amendment as a way to better work with local and regional authorities on adapting to climate change.

The SPD's four-page proposal, seen by AFP, would enshrine a "joint mission for climate adaptation and nature conservation" in the German constitution, known as the Basic Law.

The proposal also outlines a national "heat action plan", changes to urban planning laws and construction codes, and new labour laws to address working in sweltering temperatures.

But key figures in Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc are pushing back against the idea, warning about the potential costs.

Klaus Mack, deputy chairman of the CDU's parliamentary group, did not reject the idea out of hand but expressed scepticism in remarks to AFP.

He raised concerns about possible fiscal implications as well as over how responsibilities would be divided between ministries.

"Only a concrete proposal will show whether amending the Basic Law makes sense," Mack told AFP.

The CDU's climate policy spokesman, Mark Helfrich, told Politico that they "are not convinced" by the idea of new joint funding.

SPD sources in Berlin said the proposal is intended to prepare for debate at an upcoming retreat for cabinet ministers this month.

- 'Ill-prepared' -

Environmental groups largely voiced support for the SPD climate proposal and criticised Merz for not laying out a plan of his own about how to address drought, heat and water shortages.

"This summer of extremes shows that Germany is ill-prepared for the heatwaves striking us with increasing frequency due to the escalating climate crisis," Barbara Metz, head of Environmental Action Germany, told the RND media group.

Metz said the proposal "needs to translate into concrete action now; it cannot remain just another instance of paying lip service".

Support from Merz's conservatives would be essential for the SPD's climate proposal to gain traction, as amending the Basic Law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.

The constitutional amendment is "the prerequisite" to guarantee long-term climate measures by letting Berlin fund and direct projects in areas that Germany's federal system normally reserves for local and regional governments, according to the SPD document.

The opposition Greens would be ready to support the idea, the party's deputy parliamentary leader Julia Verlinden told AFP.

However, the far-left Die Linke party quickly dismissed the proposal as "empty promises", while the far-right AfD -- which holds climate-sceptic views -- categorically rejected the idea.

R.Moore--SFF