Grüne on the environment and animal welfare

The Greens want stronger protection for species and habitats, guided by the EU Nature Restoration Law. Protected areas are to be upgraded, expanded and linked together. Nature conservation stations would be set up across the state.

The Greens want to protect animals and plants better. Protected areas should grow and be linked to each other. Farmers in nature reserves should farm organically. There should be conservation stations all over the state. Experts there work together with towns and farmers.

The "Aktion Grün" programs are meant to protect flagship species such as the wildcat, the European hamster and the lapwing; the party wants to implement the plans for Natura 2000 sites and update the biodiversity strategy. The focus is on the habitat network, more diversity in farmland, converting forestry monocultures and the peatland protection program. Farming inside nature reserves would be switched to organic management, and new protected areas would be created where species are especially threatened. Wildlife bridges, tunnels and species recovery programs are to connect habitats. Conservation stations would be introduced statewide, and the coordination center for lynx and wolf would become a competence center for all species likely to cause conflicts. The party wants to expand contract-based conservation and models such as the "Partnerbetriebe Naturschutz" together with farmers.

The Greens want to curb the spread of PFAS, pesticides, antibiotics and other problematic chemicals, relying on the precautionary and polluter-pays principles. Inspection and monitoring programs are to continue and grow. Municipalities would get help with packaging taxes and reusable container systems.

The Greens want fewer harmful chemicals in the environment. These include pesticides, for example. Pesticides are products used against pests. Whoever pollutes should pay for the cleanup. Towns should be able to tax packaging.

Where safe substitutes are lacking, research into them is to be funded. The party wants to expand monitoring programs to spot contamination early, and polluters are to pay for cleaning up legacy contamination. Checks on water quality, nitrate, food and aircraft noise would continue; the platform asks the federal government for clear rules on fuel dumping, ultrafine particles and aircraft noise. Repair cafés and food-sharing initiatives would be supported, as would municipalities introducing a packaging tax or reusable systems. Plastic use in farming and forestry is to be reduced, and public procurement law should take ecological and social standards into account.

The Greens want to convert forests into near-natural, climate-stable mixed woodland and keep more water in the forest. New natural forest reserves are to be created and the national park strengthened. The forestry administration is to attract skilled staff and become climate neutral.

The Greens want to protect the forests. Many different trees should grow in the forest. Such forests cope better with heat and drought. Some forests should develop with no human interference. The national park should get more services.

Programs such as "Klimawald 2100" and climate-adapted forest management are to grow with federal support. Infiltration trenches and keyline design are meant to improve water retention, a standardized digital forest monitoring system would be introduced, and hunting should allow young trees to grow. The party wants to create natural forest reserves, implement the concept for habitat trees, old trees and deadwood together with municipalities, and certify ecosystem services. For the national park it plans a digital gateway, more guides, and more environmental education and research. For the state forests the platform lists good training, a forestry degree program, FSC certification, continuous-cover forestry and more advice for forest owners.

The Greens want to give rivers more room, hold water back in the landscape and organize flood protection across municipal borders. A climate adaptation law would support municipalities and farmers in adapting. Drinking water supply and wastewater treatment plants are to be modernized.

The Greens want better protection against floods. Rivers and streams should get more room. Then water can spread out during a flood. A new law should help towns adapt to the climate. Drinking water should also stay safe.

The "Aktion Blau Plus" program is to restore waterways and floodplains, and joint water associations would plan measures across local borders. The planned Waldsee/Altrip/Neuhofen flood polder is to be fundamentally reviewed because of its impact on nature and open questions about disaster protection. The recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry commission on disaster preparedness and the seven-point plan are to be implemented, with faster procedures in especially flood-prone areas. The Wassercent (a state water extraction levy) would be developed further to also fund adaptation and flood protection. The Zukunftsplan Wasser is meant to protect drinking water; treatment plants would get a fourth purification stage, with makers of problematic substances sharing the cost. The party wants to keep supporting reconstruction in the Ahr valley and check the aid process for obstacles facing those affected.

The Greens want more support for animal shelters, wildlife centers and animal welfare groups, along with clearer rules for keeping animals. These include a competence certificate for first-time dog owners and a ban on dangerous exotic animals in private hands. A new state animal welfare commissioner would be created.

The Greens want to help animal shelters more. First-time dog owners should prove they know how to keep a dog. Every new dog should have insurance. Dangerous animals like venomous snakes should be banned in private homes. The state should get an animal welfare commissioner.

Shelter funding would be extended to wildlife centers, and people who take in animals would get support. A statewide cat protection ordinance is to be legally reviewed; veterinary offices should have enough well-trained staff for reliable inspections. For listed dog breeds, a passed temperament test could be taken into account in the dog tax, and the party backs EU-wide mandatory identification and registration for dogs and cats. At the federal level it calls for higher animal-keeping standards for circuses and opposes wild animals in circuses. It also plans a research prize for alternatives to animal testing, better standards for animal transport, and support for on-farm slaughter and pasture shooting.

The Greens want to reduce private fireworks to ease the burden on people, animals and the environment. Cities and towns should be able to designate fireworks-free zones on a secure legal footing. Nationwide, the party favors a year-round ban on sales for private use.

The Greens want fewer private fireworks. They say fireworks are hard on people, animals and the environment. Cities should be able to ban fireworks in certain places. Ideally, no one could buy fireworks for private use anymore. That should apply all over Germany.

The platform describes private fireworks as a growing burden on municipalities and points to frequent misuse of fireworks. Municipalities are to be strengthened in imposing restrictions and given legal certainty when they set fireworks-free zones. The party wants to push at the federal level for the ban on sales to private individuals.

The Greens want to bring land consumption down step by step to net zero and below one hectare by 2030. Existing sites and town centers are to take priority over new development on the outskirts. A land agency and an unsealing campaign are meant to help.

The Greens want less new land to be built on. By 2030, land use should be below one hectare. Empty buildings and old business sites should be used first. Paved ground should be opened up again. A new agency should advise towns on this.

The principle of developing inside built-up areas first remains binding; vacant buildings and underused commercial sites should be used first. A threshold like the one for residential development would apply to commerce and industry, and density values in residential areas would rise. A reserve of compensation areas is meant to speed up planning. The state development program LEP 5 would designate priority areas for linking habitats, especially in floodplains, along the Westwall and around the Hunsrück-Hochwald National Park. The planned land agency would advise municipalities and broker compensation and conversion sites. In towns and villages, paved surfaces including gravel gardens are to be unsealed, and green and water features would be supported.

The Greens want to improve animal welfare in agriculture and name the end of industrial factory farming as their goal. Instead, husbandry with outdoor access and grazing is to be supported.

The Greens want to protect farm animals better. They want to end factory farming. Animals should have room to move and go out to pasture. Farms with animals should be inspected more often. There should be stricter rules for transporting animals.

At the federal level, the Greens push for funding so that barns can be rebuilt to meet animal welfare and fire safety needs. Livestock numbers are to be tied to the land a farm has. Livestock farms would be inspected more often and animal transports regulated more strictly. Permanent grassland is to be preserved because, according to the program, it is especially rich in species.

The Greens want to move step by step toward a circular economy and use more recycled materials, especially in construction. The program justifies this with more resilient supply chains, geopolitical independence and industrial strength.

The Greens want materials to be reused more often. This is called a circular economy. Public offices should buy more recycled material. Waste should be collected separately more carefully. Organic waste should also be turned into energy.

In public contracts, the share of recyclates, meaning reprocessed materials, is to rise, and authorities and municipalities should be able to give them preference. The construction sector is meant to play a driving role. Waste is to be collected separately to a greater extent, and municipalities would get help introducing a bin for recyclable materials. The collection rate for organic waste is to rise further, also for energy use. White and gray biotechnology is to be developed as a future market, with a study to identify its potential.