What do the parties in North Rhine-Westphalia say on climate and energy?

The AfD wants to stop building further wind turbines in North Rhine-Westphalia. It justifies this with protecting the landscape, nature and tourism.

The AfD wants no new wind turbines in North Rhine-Westphalia. It says wind turbines ruin the look of the landscape. That scares off tourists. The state should become nicer for visitors.

The AfD opposes the energy transition and wants to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and scrap carbon taxes and emissions trading without replacement. It doubts that humans cause the warming and favors adaptation over cutting CO2.

The AfD is against the energy transition. Germany should leave the Paris climate agreement. Charges on CO2 should end. The AfD says the warming is natural. People should adapt to the climate.

The AfD wants to stop subsidizing power from wind, solar, biogas, and wood and rejects the EU's Green Deal. Wind turbines would need large minimum distances and residents' approval, and electricity prices would drop by the amount of the EEG surcharge (renewable energy levy).

The AfD wants no more state money for wind power, solar power, and biogas. Wind turbines should stand far from homes. The distance should be at least 2.5 kilometers. There should be no wind turbines in forests. Electricity should get cheaper.

The AfD wants an energy mix in which coal and nuclear power cover baseload and natural gas adds flexibility. The remaining nuclear plants would run longer, and nuclear research would be rebuilt.

The AfD wants to keep power from coal, gas, and nuclear plants. The last nuclear plants should run longer. Germany should do nuclear research again. The AfD says this keeps power secure and cheap.

The CDU commits to the Paris climate goals and wants North Rhine-Westphalia to be climate neutral by 2045 at the latest. Climate action is to be reconciled with industry, jobs and social security, and should remain affordable for people.

The CDU wants to protect the climate. The state should be climate neutral by 2045. That means it adds no more harmful gases. Industry and its jobs should stay. Climate action should stay affordable for people.

The CDU calls on the federal government for an energy price brake so that energy stays affordable for households and businesses. Several energy taxes are to fall, and the housing benefit and commuter allowance are to rise.

Energy has become expensive. The CDU wants the federal government to slow the prices. Taxes on heating, electricity and fuel should go down. The housing benefit should rise for good. Commuters should be able to deduct more from their taxes.

The CDU wants to exit coal by 2030, provided the federal government ensures secure supply and stable prices. Gas is to serve as a bridging technology, and the state is to become independent of Russian energy imports quickly.

The CDU wants to stop burning coal by 2030. For that, the federal government must make sure there is enough energy. Prices must stay stable too. For a transition period, the CDU wants to use gas. The state should no longer need energy from Russia.

The CDU wants to speed up the expansion of wind energy and photovoltaics. To that end, residents are to share financially, protected interests are to be rebalanced, and owners of small solar systems are to be relieved of taxes and paperwork.

The CDU wants more wind turbines and solar panels. Building them should go faster. People living nearby should be able to earn money from wind turbines. Owners of small solar systems should pay no taxes on what they earn.

The CDU wants to make North Rhine-Westphalia the leading hydrogen state and reach at least three gigawatts of electrolysis capacity by 2030. Industry is to get help with the switch, and research on capturing CO2 is to keep receiving support.

The CDU wants to make much more hydrogen in the state. Hydrogen can replace coal, oil and gas. Old gas pipelines should carry hydrogen. Factories should get help with the switch. The CDU also wants to support technology that captures CO2.

The CDU wants the state to be better prepared for severe weather and to secure critical infrastructure against extreme conditions. A new state water center (Landeszentrum Wasser) is to develop strategies for drought as well as for floods and heavy rain, and take charge of warnings about water hazards.

The CDU wants the state to be better prepared for storms. Important facilities should keep working in extreme weather. The CDU wants to set up a state water center. It should deal with drought and floods. It should also warn people about dangers.

The FDP commits to greenhouse gas neutrality for the state by 2045 and wants to get there through research, new technologies and a technology-neutral approach. It rejects climate protection based on sacrifice; climate protection and growth are meant to go together.

NRW should be climate neutral by 2045. That means the state no longer harms the climate. The FDP wants to do this with new technology. It does not want people to have to give things up.

The FDP wants to extend emissions trading to all sectors and as many countries as possible. It considers this the most effective and also the cheapest tool for meeting climate targets.

Anyone who emits CO2 needs certificates for it. This is called emissions trading. The FDP wants to extend this trading to all areas. This should bring CO2 emissions down.

The FDP wants to cut the electricity tax to the minimum allowed in the EU and replace subsidies under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) with a market model. This is meant to offset the added costs of climate protection and relieve people on low incomes.

Climate protection makes some things cost more. So the FDP wants to cut the tax on electricity sharply. Support for green power should also work differently. People with little money should pay less.

The FDP wants an energy supply that is reliable, environmentally friendly and competitively priced. To that end, large power plants are to switch from coal to gas in the short term, grids for electricity, gas and heat are to be expanded quickly, and storage is to be promoted.

The FDP wants safe and clean energy at good prices. Power plants should use gas instead of coal for now. The networks for power, gas and heat should grow quickly. There should be more ways to store energy.

The FDP considers a faster exit from coal-fired power necessary, ideally by 2030. It wants to reach climate neutrality through competitive solutions rather than coercion. State-owned enterprises are to lead by example.

The FDP wants to stop using coal sooner. Ideally this should happen by 2030. The FDP does not want to force people. It relies on competition and new technology. State-owned companies should set an example.

The FDP wants more than 55 percent of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. Wind energy expansion is to double and photovoltaics to at least triple. To achieve this, permits are to be sped up and new areas opened for use.

The FDP wants much more power from wind and sun. By 2030, more than half of all power should come from them. Permits should be faster. Solar panels should also go on building walls and over highways.

The FDP wants to push the build-up of a hydrogen economy and make North Rhine-Westphalia the leading model region. For the ramp-up, hydrogen from any production method is to be used, including hydrogen from natural gas for a transitional period. It also calls for a European Hydrogen Union.

Hydrogen is a gas that can store energy. The FDP wants the state to be a model for hydrogen. At first, every type of hydrogen should be allowed. Later it should mostly come from wind and solar power. Europe should work together on this.

The FDP wants to advance the digitization of the energy transition and cut red tape to do so. Installing smart meters is to become easier, and more is to be invested in smart grids. Consumers should be able to both produce and use electricity.

The FDP wants to make the energy system digital. Smart power meters should be easier to install. People should be able to make and use their own power. Electric cars should store power and give it back. The data must stay safe.

The Greens want North Rhine-Westphalia to become climate neutral before 2040 if possible and to get onto the 1.5-degree path of the Paris Agreement. An immediate action program and a new climate protection law with annual targets for every sector are meant to start this.

The Greens want NRW to be climate neutral before 2040. Climate neutral means the state no longer harms the climate. An immediate program should start the work. A new law should set yearly goals for every sector. Experts should check whether the goals are met.

The Greens want to give cities and towns more money and staff for climate protection and climate adaptation. The platform treats municipal climate planning as part of basic public services and therefore wants binding standards.

Cities and towns should get more money for climate protection. They should also get more staff for it. The state should set fixed rules for climate plans. Every town should make a local climate plan.

The Greens want to introduce a climate proviso for new state laws and funding programs. For every law, the effect on greenhouse gas emissions and its fit with climate targets is to be calculated; state money is not to worsen the climate crisis.

The Greens want to check every new law for its effect on the climate. Experts calculate how much greenhouse gas the law causes. State funding programs get the same check. The state should not pay for things that harm the climate.

The Greens want to quickly present a climate adaptation strategy with measurable targets. Cities are to be cooled with more greenery and water surfaces and rebuilt along the "sponge city" model; state funding for this is to grow.

The climate is getting warmer, and heavy rain is more common. The Greens want to prepare NRW for this. Cities should get more trees, plants and water. The ground should soak up more rain. This is called a sponge city. The state should give towns more money for this.

The Greens want NRW's electricity supply to be 80 percent renewable by 2030 and fully renewable by 2035. Storage, flexible demand, grid expansion and green hydrogen are meant to secure supply, on which the platform says the industrial base also depends.

By 2035, all electricity in NRW should come from wind and sun. By 2030, it should already be 80 percent. This needs many more wind turbines and solar panels. Power storage and new lines should keep the supply safe.

The Greens want to end lignite mining in NRW by 2030 at the latest and adopt a new Leitentscheidung (state guiding decision on mining) right away. All villages in the Rhenish mining area are to be preserved, and a moratorium is to stop demolitions and tree clearing.

The Greens want to stop using coal by 2030. The state should make a new decision on this right away. All villages near the mines should stay. Nobody should tear down more houses or cut more trees there. Coal workers should get honest plans.

The Greens want to abolish forced resettlement and expropriation for the mining of coal, sand and gravel. Homes are to stay at least 1,000 meters from the open-pit mine, and people already resettled are to be able to buy back their former properties.

Nobody should have to move because of coal, sand or gravel. Nobody should lose their land for it. The mine should stay 1,000 meters away from homes. People who already had to move should be allowed to buy back their house. Villagers should have a say.

The Greens want to speed up structural change in the coal regions and keep the energy company RWE responsible for land restoration and the perpetual follow-up costs of lignite mining. Hambach Forest is to be transferred to public ownership and protected.

The company RWE mines lignite coal in NRW. The Greens want RWE to pay for the damage. RWE should restore the landscape. Unused RWE land should go into a fund. Hambach Forest should belong to the public and be protected.

The Greens want solar panels to become the norm on buildings, starting with public buildings and new construction and later extending to existing ones. They also want to open up land along highways and rail lines, as well as already sealed surfaces, for solar parks. According to the platform, rooftops in North Rhine-Westphalia could generate about half of today's electricity consumption.

The Greens want many more solar panels. Panels should be normal on public buildings and new houses. Later they should also go on older houses. Solar parks should be built next to highways and rail lines. Parking lots and landfills should be used too.

The Greens want to make at least 200 new wind turbines possible each year and reserve 2 percent of the state's land for wind power. Fixed minimum distances from homes would be abolished again for that purpose. The platform regards wind, together with photovoltaics, as the foundation of the energy transition and climate protection.

The Greens want more wind turbines in the state. At least 200 new ones should be possible each year. 2 percent of the state's land should be set aside for this. Fixed distances from homes should go away. Birds and bats should still be protected.

The Greens want to back citizen-owned energy projects with a new fund for project development. The state's funding program for tenant electricity would be relaunched. The platform says this would let as many people as possible benefit from cheap energy.

Citizens should be able to run wind and solar parks themselves. The Greens want a new fund for this. Renters should also get power from their own roof. The state should support such projects again.

The Greens want to renovate three times as many buildings per year for energy efficiency as today and require a minimum share of renewable energy when heating systems are replaced, including in existing buildings. All state-owned buildings would be renovated by 2030. In the platform's view, the current pace is not enough to heat buildings climate-neutrally within 20 years.

The Greens want to insulate and modernize many more buildings. This should go three times as fast as today. New heating systems should run partly on renewable energy. That applies to older houses too. The state should renovate its own buildings by 2030.

The Greens want to give low-income households more support for energy-efficient renovation and split renovation costs for rental buildings among landlords, tenants and the state. Revenue from carbon pricing should flow back to people as directly as possible. The platform argues that rent increases after renovations are often higher than the energy savings.

The Greens want the costs of clean heating shared fairly. People with little money should get more support. For rental buildings, landlords, renters and the state should share the costs. Money from the carbon price should go back to the people.

The Greens want to use natural gas only as far as needed for a secure supply during the transition. New gas plants and pipelines would be allowed only if they can later run on climate-neutral gases such as hydrogen. The platform names biogas from residues and geothermal energy as alternatives.

The Greens want to use little natural gas. Gas should only be for a transition period. New gas plants must be able to run on hydrogen later. The same goes for new pipelines. Biogas should come from manure and waste. Heat from the ground should be used too.

The Greens want to close the uranium enrichment plant in Gronau as quickly as possible. In the platform's view, the nuclear phase-out is not yet complete in North Rhine-Westphalia. The party also pushes for shutting down nuclear plants near the border in neighboring countries.

There is a uranium plant in Gronau. Uranium is the fuel for nuclear power plants. The Greens want to close this plant quickly. Nuclear plants near the border should also be shut down. There should be one plan for nuclear waste for all of Germany.

The Greens want to resolve conflicts between climate-related infrastructure and species protection through clear rules and to speed up planning procedures. Two percent of the state's area is to be used for new wind turbines. Areas with core populations of sensitive species are to be excluded from the outset.

The Greens want to build more wind turbines. Two percent of the state's land should be available for this. Turbines should not stand where many sensitive animals live. Offices and courts should get more staff. This should make planning faster.

The Greens want to develop NRW into a leading technology hub for green hydrogen. Because this hydrogen will stay scarce, it is to be used only where no alternative exists. Networks and import routes are to be expanded quickly.

The Greens want more green hydrogen in NRW. Green hydrogen is made with green electricity. There is not much of it. So industry should get it first. The state should build pipelines for hydrogen.

The Greens want to put the chemical industry on a course in line with the 1.5-degree target. To do so, electricity in NRW is to come entirely from renewable sources by 2035. More recycling and a move away from fossil raw materials are also meant to change the sector.

The Greens want to make the chemical industry climate-friendly. By 2035, all electricity should come from wind and sun. Companies should recycle more materials. A new institute should do research on this.

The Greens want universities to lead by example on climate protection and plan a program for climate-neutral science by 2035. It includes renovating buildings and more sustainability in teaching and research.

The Greens want climate-neutral universities by 2035. Climate-neutral means the universities no longer harm the climate. Buildings would be renovated for this. Degree programs should also cover more about sustainability.

The Greens want NRW to become climate neutral before 2040 if possible, a goal they derive from the European Green Deal. The UN Sustainable Development Goals are to be anchored in every state ministry, and bills and public contracts are to undergo a mandatory check for social and ecological standards. The party rejects the trade agreements CETA and Mercosur in their current form.

The Greens want NRW to be climate neutral before 2040 if possible. Climate neutral means the state no longer harms the climate. New laws should get a sustainability check. This check looks at whether they are good for people and nature. The Greens reject the trade deals CETA and Mercosur as they are now. Companies should reuse raw materials more often.

The SPD wants to revise the state's climate protection law. Targets, measures and monitoring are to be derived from the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree goal and made binding. The party calls climate change the greatest challenge of the present.

The SPD wants to rewrite the NRW climate protection law. The Earth should warm by no more than 1.5 degrees. The law should follow this goal. It should list targets and measures. The state should check whether it meets the targets.

The SPD wants to expand wind and solar power almost everywhere in the state and give local residents a share of the returns. Rigid distance rules for wind turbines are to be dropped and turbines allowed in commercial forests. The coal phase-out is to happen once expansion targets are verifiably met.

The SPD wants more power from wind and sun. Wind turbines and solar panels should stand almost everywhere. People living nearby should get cheaper power or earn money from them. Fixed distance rules for wind turbines should go. Coal should end once enough new plants exist.

The SPD wants to commission a study of the potential of renewable energy in North Rhine-Westphalia and of the capacity needed to meet climate targets. Based on this, the state's energy strategy is to be realigned and all renewable sources expanded more than before.

The SPD wants more power from wind, sun and other renewable sources. First, a study should show how much is possible. Then the SPD wants to rewrite the state's energy plan. Extra power should be stored as hydrogen.

The SPD wants to create a public, easy-to-understand information tool on future prices for water, electricity and heating. It is meant to help people prepare for new energy prices and to show which government aid is available for which income groups.

The SPD wants a cost navigator for energy. This is a public overview of future prices for water, power and heating. It also shows what help the government offers. This way, everyone can prepare for the prices.

Following the model of the "Innovation City Bottrop" pilot project, the SPD wants to promote local energy-transition efforts in 1,000 neighborhoods, mainly through energy-efficient building renovation. This is meant to serve climate protection, bring orders to local businesses and keep housing affordable.

The SPD wants to make 1,000 neighborhoods in the state more climate-friendly. The model is a project in the city of Bottrop. Above all, buildings should be renovated so they use less energy. This should also bring work for local tradespeople.

The SPD wants solar panels on every suitable roof. They are to be mandatory for new construction and conversions of commercial buildings and subsidized for existing buildings. Noise barriers along highways and rail lines are also to be fitted with photovoltaics where possible.

The SPD wants solar panels on as many roofs as possible. Anyone who builds or converts a commercial building must install solar panels. Existing buildings should get funding for this. Noise barriers should also get solar panels.

The SPD wants to set up acceleration centers and service centers for municipal permitting authorities. They are meant to make permits under the Federal Immission Control Act and the legally sound designation of wind energy zones easier and much faster.

The SPD wants wind turbines and other energy projects to get permits faster. New centers should be set up for this. Experts there help the offices in towns and counties. Today, some procedures take more than ten years.

The SPD wants municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia to present a heating plan with concrete measures, priorities and a timeline within three years. The plans are meant to lower heat demand and shift supply to renewable sources.

The SPD wants every city and town to make a heating plan. The plan shows how buildings will be heated in a climate-friendly way. Municipalities should have three years for this. The plan lists measures and a timeline.

The SPD wants to develop the Rhine-Ruhr region into Germany's hydrogen center. To this end, a statewide pipeline network is to be built, existing long-distance natural gas pipelines converted, and skilled workers trained in a dedicated training center.

The SPD wants to make the state the top region for hydrogen. Hydrogen is a gas that can replace coal in industry. Pipes should carry hydrogen across the whole state. A new center should train skilled workers for this.

The SPD wants buildings owned by the state and municipalities to be built climate-neutral as a binding requirement. Cities and towns would get help with accessible redesign and with adapting to climate change, for example through more green and water areas.

New buildings owned by the state and towns should not harm the climate. This would become a rule. The SPD also wants to help cities with rebuilding. More green areas and water should make cities cooler.