BERLIN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The German government should have a stronger and more determined climate policy, the president of the German Bundestag Wolfgang Schaeuble told the German editorial network (RND) on Friday.
"We need decisions, in climate policy as elsewhere," said the Bundestag president.
Schaeuble recalled that in the 1990s, Germany had committed itself to certain climate targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
"It is not possible to make agreements and then fail to meet them. I can understand why young people do not accept that," Schaeuble said, referring to the "Fridays-for-Future" climate demonstrations by students across Germany and around the world.
The German parliament president said it was "good that young people are exerting pressure. It is a courageous sign and it can make things move".
In climate policy, the German government should not shy away from decisions that could be seen as a burden, according to Schaeuble.
"Everyone agrees that more needs to be done. But then you have to say goodbye to the attitude that it must not be a burden on anyone," stressed the German politician.
"Political leadership also means making decisions that restrict or burden people in their personal decisions," concluded Schaeuble.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently declared her support for the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality in Germany by 2050 at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin.
At the beginning of May, the Green faction in the German Bundestag had submitted a motion calling for the German government to work towards achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2040.
Similarly, the parliamentary faction of the German Left party (Die Linke) submitted a proposal urging the German government to recognize a "climate emergency" in Germany and ensure that "climate protection should be given priority in political decisions".
