Grüne on the environment and animal welfare

The Greens want to bring quick relief to neighborhoods that suffer most from heat. The focus is on areas with many low-income and disadvantaged households, since the platform sees environmental policy as social policy too. Berlin's Climate Adaptation Act is to be implemented ambitiously and together with the Mobility Act.

The Greens want to protect people better from heat. This matters most in areas with little green space. People with little money often live there. There should be more shade and more drinking fountains. On hot days, cool public buildings should be open.

The measures named include shade sails over playgrounds and dog runs, more drinking fountains and water points for pets and wild animals. Air-conditioned public buildings are to be open to people on hot days. So-called climate islands are to offer shade, water and seating. The heat action plan is to be reviewed and updated every year, with sufficient resources and clear responsibilities. The agencies involved are to coordinate better on how public space is used.

The Greens want to launch a program to remove paved surfaces so that, on balance, no additional land is sealed as soon as possible. The city is to become greener especially where there is little greenery today. One million new trees are to be planted, with their upkeep funded for the long term.

The Greens want to remove concrete and asphalt from many areas. This is called unsealing. Plants should grow there. Berlin should get one million new trees. There should be enough money to care for the trees.

The share of unsealed public land is to rise markedly every year. Oversized traffic areas, the grounds of schools and hospitals, and paved courtyards are to be examined systematically for their potential. Plans include pocket parks, tiny forests, climbing plants and new green corridors, planted in ways that benefit insects and birds. Budgets for tree care are to grow. The party wants to implement the law that originated with the "BaumEntscheid" initiative and was passed by the Abgeordnetenhaus (Berlin's state parliament).

The Greens want rainwater to be stored and allowed to seep into the ground within the city instead of being drained away. This is meant to cool the city, replenish groundwater, water urban greenery and protect waterways. The Berliner Regenwasseragentur (Berlin Rainwater Agency) is to be expanded and given more funding for this.

The Greens want rainwater to stay in the city. It should seep into the ground and not flow into the sewers. This cools the city and helps plants. There should be green roofs and rain barrels for this. The rainwater agency should get more money.

The tools named in the platform are unsealing, green roofs, rain gardens, infiltration strips, planted areas around storm drains and rain barrels. The rainwater agency is also to be developed further in its structure. It is to coordinate decentralized rainwater management more effectively, carry out its own projects and support new approaches. The water is to be made usable in both new and existing buildings.

The Greens want to permanently secure existing green spaces, create new ones and preserve cold-air corridors. Tempelhofer Feld is to remain protected, and allotment gardens are to be kept and opened up more to the general public. Borough offices are to receive earmarked funds for the upkeep of greenery and trees.

The Greens want to protect parks and green spaces in Berlin. Tempelhofer Feld should stay open. Allotment gardens should stay too. The boroughs should get more money for upkeep. Trees should be better protected.

The platform justifies protecting Tempelhofer Feld by its role as a source of cold air, a habitat and a place for recreation. Allotment sites are to be made usable for community gardening, climate projects and environmental education. Funding for the upkeep of green spaces is to be aligned step by step with actual costs. The tree protection ordinance is to be thoroughly revised to improve the protection and care of trees. Residents are to be allowed to plant the soil around street trees without a permit, and the "Hausbäume" model is to apply in all boroughs. Community gardens and urban gardening initiatives are to receive advice and start-up support.

The Greens want to secure Berlin's forests through state law and expand the forested area. The forests are to become near-natural mixed woodlands that cope better with heat and drought and hold more water.

The Greens want to protect the forests in Berlin. A law should make sure the forests stay. There should also be more forest. The forest should have many kinds of trees. Then it can handle heat and dry weather better.

The platform backs the ongoing reorientation of Berlin's forestry agency together with environmental groups, scientists and civil society. Old trees are to be kept, deadwood is to stay in the forest, and the forest should regenerate naturally where possible. Logging would be limited and allowed only when it helps the shift to a permanent near-natural forest. Forest bogs are to be rewetted and drainage infrastructure removed. The Greens also plan more strictly protected forest areas, larger nature reserves, and wildfire prevention that includes firebreaks kept open by grazing.

The Greens want to carry out Berlin's Biodiversity Strategy 2030+ and link habitats into a connected network of biotopes. In the long run, no pesticides should be used in Berlin, starting with land owned by the state.

Many animals and plants live in Berlin. The Greens want to protect their living spaces and connect them. There should be more flower meadows and hedges. Pesticides are chemicals that kill pests. The Greens want Berlin to stop using them, first on land the state owns.

Plans include flower meadows, insect corridors, near-natural green spaces, and hedges and shrubs made up of native species. The platform also calls for safe wildlife crossings, steps against light pollution and bird collisions, stronger wildlife rescue and more monitoring. Berlin is to actively implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. Protected areas are to be secured for the long term through maintenance and management plans. Environmental and conservation groups would keep receiving support and retain their rights to participate and to sue.

The Greens want to cut water use in Berlin to keep the drinking water supply secure during the climate crisis. To that end, the "Masterplan Wasser" (water master plan) is to become binding, and groundwater extraction is to be regulated more tightly.

The Greens say Berlin must use water carefully. Otherwise drinking water could run short. People and companies who pump groundwater should face stricter rules. Rainwater should be used more often for watering. Golf courses should only get rainwater.

Public bodies are to water green spaces in summer during cooler hours and with efficient methods such as drip irrigation. Using rainwater for irrigation would increasingly become mandatory, and exclusively so for golf courses. Permits to extract groundwater would depend on the water table, fee exemptions would be reduced, and minimum groundwater levels would be set. Company-owned wells would be allowed only as exceptions, and large water users would be made public. Recycling graywater from showers, sinks and washing machines is to become standard. Hand-operated street pumps would be repaired and newly built, also as an emergency supply.

The Greens want to make Berlin's rivers, lakes and small water bodies more natural and implement the EU Water Framework Directive. Polluted rainwater, microplastics and PFAS are to be kept out of the water, and the city's water utility would be allowed to reinvest its own profits.

The Greens want cleaner rivers and lakes in Berlin. The banks should become greener and more natural. Dirty rainwater should no longer flow into rivers without a filter. The Greens also want to ban PFAS. These are chemicals that almost never break down.

Through the "Aktion Blau" program, near-natural stretches and bank zones along the Spree, the Havel, lakes and small rivers are to grow, and small water bodies are to be restored. Treated water from sewage plants would be fed into landscapes that otherwise dry out. More areas would be disconnected from the combined sewer system, and clean rainwater would feed small water bodies. The Berliner Wasserbetriebe (the public water utility) would keep its profits for investment instead of paying them into the state budget. Strategies against microplastics and PFAS are planned, with a PFAS ban as the goal, and limits are to be met, for instance for the contaminated water in Tegel.

The Greens want to lift the blanket swimming ban so that people can swim in the Spree river. To make that possible, water quality monitoring would be extended across the whole city.

Today, swimming in the Spree river is not allowed. The Greens want to end this ban. The city should check everywhere how clean the water is. Then people can cool off downtown in summer.

The platform points to other European cities where river swimming is permitted as a model. The existing system for measuring water quality would be expanded citywide. Swimming in the Spree is meant to offer a way to cool off in the hot city center. The Greens tie this to a commitment to keep water quality high over the long term.

The Greens want to cut particulate and nitrogen oxide pollution across Berlin, guided by WHO air quality guidelines. The core measure is a zone where, step by step, only emission-free vehicles would be allowed.

The Greens want cleaner air in Berlin. For this, there should be a special zone. Step by step, only vehicles without exhaust should drive there. Construction sites and wood heaters should also make less dust.

A new clean air plan is meant to ensure Berlin meets EU limits before 2030 if possible. The switch to electric vehicles would be sped up, starting with the buses of the BVG transit agency. From 2030, construction machinery in the zone would have to meet a modern emissions standard or carry soot filters. Dust separators for wood heating systems would be subsidized and made mandatory by 2030 at the latest. Air monitoring would grow with new sensors and the involvement of citizen science groups.

The Greens call for a ban on selling fireworks and setting off firecrackers that applies all year and everywhere. They justify this with the protection of people, animals and the environment.

The Greens want to ban private fireworks. The ban should apply all year and everywhere. Selling fireworks should also be banned. On New Year's Eve, there should be light shows instead.

The ban would cover both the sale of fireworks and setting off firecrackers. As a replacement, the platform proposes centrally organized light shows that are easier on the environment. These would take place on New Year's Eve and on other special occasions.

The Greens want streets and green spaces cleaned more often and want the city sanitation service BSR to take over all parks and playgrounds. Every household would be able to get rid of bulky waste for free once a year.

The Greens want a clean Berlin. The city cleaning service should clean all parks and playgrounds. Every household should be able to hand in bulky waste for free once a year. Bulky waste means large old things like furniture.

In addition, four bulky waste days per year are planned, and the BSR's neighborhood collection days would take place more often on weekends. The program of park patrol staff and neighborhood managers would be made permanent. Recycling centers would have to accept every kind of waste and could charge fees for it, in order to reduce illegal dumping. A pilot project called "Mein Stück Berlin" would test voluntary sponsorships for stretches of street or green spaces. All services are to be communicated clearly and in several languages.

The Greens want to introduce a tax on single-use packaging, dishes and cutlery to make reusable options more attractive. Repair, swapping and reuse would be promoted, and separate collection of organic waste would become mandatory.

The Greens want less trash in Berlin. There should be a tax on throwaway packaging. Then reusable items pay off more. There should be more places to repair and swap things. Everyone should have to collect food and garden waste separately.

Repair cafés, swap and sharing platforms and reuse stores would be strengthened across the city, and the zero-waste strategy carried out. Organic waste would go entirely through the organic bin and be turned into biogas and compost; the BSR and private waste companies would have to expand the facilities for this. Clothing collections for charitable purposes are to remain possible. The platform calls on the federal government to quickly introduce extended producer responsibility for textiles to curb fast fashion. Recycling and reuse of waste wood would also be expanded.

The Greens want to work closely with Brandenburg and neighboring municipalities on protecting water, nature and the climate. Two parks in the Barnim area are to become UNESCO biosphere reserves, and Berlin's Stadtgüter (city-owned estates) are to serve as a model for environmentally friendly land use.

Berlin and Brandenburg should protect the environment together. This applies to drinking water and to the Spree and Havel rivers, for example. Two parks in the Barnim area should get special protection. Berlin owns farm estates in Brandenburg. Farming there should be gentle on the environment.

The platform names drinking water supply and water quality as issues that can only be solved across state lines. The eight shared regional parks are to be supported and developed further. On the city-owned estates in Brandenburg, environmentally friendly farming, species-rich landscapes and renewable energy sites are to come together. In addition, direct marketing of organic regional products, especially from Brandenburg, would be strengthened in the capital region.

The Greens want to anchor the office of an independent state animal welfare commissioner in law and permanently fund the animal shelter, the pet food bank and wildlife stations. The breed list for dogs would be dropped and replaced by a mandatory dog handler's license.

The Greens want to protect animals in Berlin better. There should be an independent commissioner for animal welfare. The animal shelter should get enough money for the long term. The list of dangerous dog breeds should go away. Instead, all dog owners should have to get a dog license.

The commissioner would not be bound by instructions and would get a dedicated budget and enough staff. The right of animal welfare groups to sue would be strengthened, and animals would no longer be treated as objects under the law. An emergency fund would cover acute supply shortfalls, and the Greens back a "Tierheimeuro" (shelter euro) to pay for the care of found animals. A mandatory field on origin in the dog registry is meant to make illegal puppy trading harder. For city pigeons, the platform plans managed lofts, veterinary care and egg replacement.

The Greens want to expand protection for wildlife, urban animals and bees in Berlin. They plan a central coordination office for wildlife, revised hunting and nature conservation laws, and a return to closed seasons for raccoons and nutrias.

The Greens want to protect wild animals in Berlin better. A new office will take care of wildlife. Raccoons and nutrias will get closed seasons again. In a closed season, nobody may hunt these animals. Bees will also get more protection.

A coordination office for wildlife is to be set up together with a funding program for nesting boxes, backed by a statutory wildlife protection system. The state hunting law and the nature conservation law are to be revised, and the closed seasons for raccoons and nutrias that were abolished in 2025 are to be restored. During construction and energy retrofits, building-nesting animals such as sparrows and bats are to be protected and their habitats kept or replaced. State-owned housing companies are to focus on prevention when dealing with rodents, for example by fixing structural defects. Districts are to get drinking spots for animals. The bee coordination office is to receive permanent funding, run a reporting register for diseases and invasive species, and support beekeepers with training.

The Greens want to expand research, teaching and application without animal testing in Berlin. The goal is to phase out animal experiments in favor of other methods, and students are to have a right to learn such methods.

The Greens want fewer animal tests in research. Other methods will replace the tests step by step. Students will be allowed to learn these methods. A new center will be built for this.

The program plans an interdisciplinary innovation center with its own professorship, funding lines and pilot projects. It follows the 3R approach (replace, reduce, refine) and puts the emphasis on replacement. Where animal experiments cannot yet be avoided, high animal welfare standards and more transparency are to apply, while protecting researchers' privacy rights. At the federal level, Berlin is to oppose any lowering of current animal welfare standards.

The Greens want less food to be thrown away at every stage from production to consumption. They advocate legalizing dumpster diving and requiring retailers to sell food close to its expiration date at a discount or donate it.

The Greens want less food to end up in the trash. Dumpster diving should be legal. That means people take thrown-away food from store trash bins. Stores should sell food that is almost expired for less or donate it.

The coordinating office for food rescue is to be kept permanently. Neighborhood fridges, through which leftover food is passed on, are to be set up and maintained. The program also wants to fund advice and networking for local actors and better logistics along the entire supply chain. In the program's view, rescuing food must not be a criminal offense.

The Greens want a law ensuring that every residential area has accessible, connected and near-natural green spaces. Green infrastructure is to carry the same weight in urban planning as other planning tools. Residents are also to have more say in shaping their neighborhoods.

The Greens want a law on green spaces. Every residential area should have parks and greenery nearby. Crowded neighborhoods should get more plants and cooling. People in the neighborhood should be able to help decide.

The party wants to increase funding and strengthen development within built-up areas so that green and open spaces are not paved over. Densely built neighborhoods with little greenery are to get more plants, unsealed ground and cooling on hot days; in the inner city, the Biotopflächenfaktor (a required share of ecologically effective surface) is to be used for this. The rule is meant to serve recreation, quality of life and biodiversity. To boost participation, the districts' participation offices, district social-space planning, Stadtteilkoordination Plus and mobile neighborhood work are to be expanded, and language barriers should not stand in the way.

The Greens reject any construction on Tempelhofer Feld and regard the referendum on it as binding. The field is to remain a place for recreation, sports, culture, nature and the urban climate. The airport building is to become a site for the cultural and creative industries.

The Greens want to keep Tempelhofer Feld open. Nobody should build there. Berliners decided this in a public vote. The old airport building should become a place for culture.

The platform describes the field as a unique place for local recreation, leisure, community life and the environment. For the airport building it lists possible uses such as workspaces, rehearsal rooms and stages, labs, studios, workshops and festivals. The temporary use of the Alte Feuerwache (old fire station) on the site is to continue.