SynCom, together with Helmholtz KLIMA, submits a statement on the Federal Government's climate protection program

As part of the public consultation process for the German Federal Government's climate protection program, Helmholtz SynCom, together with Helmholtz KLIMA, submitted a statement. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) is currently developing the climate protection program in accordance with § 9 of the Federal Climate Protection Act and will publish it in March 2026. Researchers from eight Helmholtz Centers contributed to the statement, including six Centers from the Helmholtz Research Field Earth & Environment.

At its core, the Helmholtz researchers call for closing the remaining emissions gaps with a mix of concrete measures. They recommend a faster expansion of renewable energies, accompanied by grids, storage, and flexibility, so that the electricity system can support the decarbonization of other sectors. The statement focuses on land use, transportation, and buildings. Effective instruments and reliable frameworks are needed there to trigger investments and scale measures. The researchers particularly emphasize the importance of natural carbon sinks: oceans, soils, forests, and peatlands must be consistently strengthened and protected – with effective agricultural and forestry policies as well as regulatory guidelines. Without stable sinks, further target shortfalls are likely, which will be difficult to rectify later. The researchers also identify governance as crucial for credibility and controllability: clear responsibilities, a stronger integration of climate protection, and climate adaptation – explicitly also with regard to water extremes – as well as monitoring that makes impact and target achievement transparent and enables adjustments.

The full statement can be found here (German).