SSW on the environment and animal welfare

The SSW wants nature conservation planned across state lines, especially for the Lower Elbe. It rejects further dumping of Hamburg harbor sludge in the North Sea, a sludge landfill next to the Wadden Sea, and any further deepening of the Elbe.

Hamburg dumps mud from its harbor into the North Sea. The SSW wants this to stop. It also wants no mud landfill next to the Wadden Sea. The Elbe river should not be made deeper again. The states should plan nature protection together.

According to the platform, nature conservation does not stop at state borders, so joint strategies are needed. For the harbor sludge, the states are to look for other solutions together. The SSW sees the Elbe sludge landfill planned by the Hamburg Senate right by the national park as a danger to the entire Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage site. It also rejects another deepening of the shipping channel to the Port of Hamburg.

The SSW wants to reduce land consumption in order to protect habitats and biodiversity. To do so, the state strategy is to be implemented effectively and Section 13b of the Federal Building Code is to be amended at the federal level.

The SSW wants less natural land to be built on. That way animals and plants keep their habitat. One section of the building law should change. Before building, the effect on the environment should be checked more closely.

The platform sees habitat loss as a cause of species extinction and demands better protection for areas important to conservation. The state's strategy for reducing land consumption is to be implemented effectively. Section 13b of the Building Code allows a fast-track procedure for building areas on the edge of towns; the SSW wants more weight placed on environmental review there. The state nature conservation act is to be developed further, and the party wants environmental crime to be punished severely.

The SSW wants to increase the share of forest in Schleswig-Holstein and better protect forests, peatlands, lowlands and grassland. The platform justifies this with their importance for ecosystems and as carbon sinks.

Schleswig-Holstein has little forest. The SSW wants more forest in the state. Forests, peatlands and meadows should be better protected. They store CO2 and help the climate. Citizens should be able to help protect nature too.

For new forests the SSW demands additional approaches because, in its view, efforts so far have fallen short. Illegal clearing is to stop, and forests are to become more resilient to climate change and extreme weather through suitable tree species and age structures. Programs protecting peatlands, lowlands and grassland are to be evaluated for effectiveness and improved where needed. Biological climate protection is to be allowed as landscape management in unused wet meadows and peatlands. Volunteer work for regional biotopes and the state program for wildflower meadows are to keep receiving support.

The SSW wants to reduce waste and conserve resources. Reusable and deposit systems are to grow, single-use plastic is to disappear, and building materials are to be recycled in the construction industry.

The SSW wants less trash. There should be more reusable containers and deposits. Single-use plastic should no longer exist. Old building materials should be used again. This saves sand and gravel.

The platform points to Earth Overshoot Day, which arrives earlier each year. In construction, recycled building materials and demolition waste are to be reused to relieve landfills. Limited sand and gravel deposits are to be conserved, and businesses are to get support in finding sustainable production routes for building materials. Organic waste and compost are to be free of foreign matter such as plastic, with no tolerated minimum amount.

The SSW wants to stop plastic from entering waterways and to upgrade wastewater treatment plants for that purpose. The pilot project on the Schlei inlet is to be made permanent and serve as a model for other coastal waters.

The SSW wants no plastic in rivers, lakes and the sea. Sewage plants should get better filters. The filters should also catch very small bits of plastic. A protection project at the Schlei inlet should continue for good.

Wastewater treatment plants are to get additional filters and treatment stages that also capture microplastics. According to the platform, this would also keep pharmaceutical residues out of the water. The Schlei pilot project is to be made permanent with state support. The SSW wants to apply the measures tested there to other coastal waters such as the Flensburg Fjord, working together with the Danish neighbors along the shore.

The SSW wants to end oil extraction in the Wadden Sea and rejects any extension of its operating period. It also wants the "Strategy for the Wadden Sea 2100" implemented and an end to dumping Hamburg harbor sludge in the North Sea.

Companies drill for oil in the Wadden Sea. The SSW wants this to stop. The permit should not be extended. Sludge from Hamburg's harbor should no longer be dumped in the North Sea.

The platform considers oil drilling in such a sensitive habitat unjustifiable and rules out any further extension. The "Strategy for the Wadden Sea 2100" is to be implemented consistently in order to preserve the natural area with its islands and Halligen (small marsh islands) and to secure the safety and quality of life of the people living there. The SSW calls for marine protection based on the precautionary principle. It opposes dumping Hamburg harbor sludge in the North Sea and argues that the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive already prohibits it.

The SSW wants old munitions from the World Wars recovered from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and disposed of safely. Besides the state, the federal government in particular should contribute quickly.

Old bombs and shells from the World Wars lie in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The SSW wants them taken out and safely destroyed. The state and the federal government should do this together. The federal government should help fast.

The platform sees the state and the federal government as jointly responsible, with the federal government expected to contribute promptly. It notes that some inland waters are affected as well. Accidents have already occurred when people picked up phosphorus residue washed ashore. In the SSW's view, recovery becomes harder with every year that passes.