Hessian Climate Advisory Board feels completely ignored by the government!

Hessian Climate Advisory Board feels completely ignored by the government!

On November 4, 2025, the Hessian Climate Advisory Council will be the focus of the political discussion. Established by law in 2023, the advisory board aims to support the state government in achieving climate goals, in particular climate neutrality by 2045. A central concern of the experts: sustainable climate protection that is not just on paper, but is actually implemented. But the chairman, Sven Linow, has recently expressed serious concerns about the political willingness of the governing parties.

Linow reports a noticeable decline in interest from the CDU and SPD in the work of the advisory board. In his term of office so far, he has only had one meeting with Minister Ingmar Jung (CDU) since he took office in January 2024. This ignorance is worrying for Linow. He not only observes a general cooling down in the political discussion about climate protection, but also criticizes the abolition of the annual climate reception, at which the advisory board was traditionally able to have its say. Instead, a sustainability reception was introduced, to which the advisory board was not even invited.

Political challenges and resistance

The planned changes to the Hessian climate law also raise questions. Linow is particularly concerned about the possible loss of important instruments such as the climate check and the CO2 shadow price. These measures are essential to seriously advance climate protection. There is also talk that the climate advisory board should be expanded to include representatives from business and trade unions, which Linow considers problematic. He sees this as an attempt by the state government to water down climate protection and shirk responsibility.

Minister Jung, on the other hand, defends his state government's course and emphasizes that climate protection should not be achieved coercively, but with broad acceptance among the population. This raises questions about how to balance the needs of citizens and climate requirements. By including non-scientific groups in the advisory board's work, Jung hopes to strengthen climate protection measures.

While complaints about a lack of political commitment to climate protection are piling up in Hesse, it remains to be seen how the state government actually plans to implement its promise to achieve the climate goals by 2045. It is clear: in order to achieve the goal of climate neutrality, not only good intentions are needed, but also clear strategies and the political will to implement them. What remains is the hope for a dialogue between the various interest groups in order to advance climate protection in Hesse.

For further information and background information on climate policy and the challenges in Hesse, read the full article hessenschau.de.