Role of climate neutrality in the system of human rights protection in Germany

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the judgment of Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) in Germany, issued in March 2021. Both the seminal character of this judgment as well as its influence on the jurisprudence of the other European courts in climate-related cases encouraged the author to conduct this research. The FCC stated that achieving climate neutrality has become a new constitutional duty of the public authorities. In this context, the research hypothesis is that the latest judgment confirms the ongoing process of the greening of human rights in the constitutional legal order in Germany. At the same time, new human rights and liberties connected with climate neutrality may arise. This paper will contribute to the discussion on the current challenges related to the implementation of the European Green Deal, which the FCC as well as the judiciary of other European countries must face. The role and the meaning of climate neutrality as a new, constitutional value are analysed. The article mostly applies the legal-dogmatic methodology. The final conclusions are as follows. In the latest climate-related jurisprudence, the FCC concentrates mostly on the constitutionality of the goals of the regulation, and on the means used to achieve climate neutrality in a timely manner. However, in the next years the scope of the accountability of the government could be significantly broader. It cannot be ruled out that after 2030 the FCC will be obliged to assess not only the compliance of the goals of the regulations with the constitution, but also the efficiency of the adopted solutions. According to the author, until that time the judicial, progressive interpretation of Basic Law will confirm the increasing role of climate neutrality as a new, constitutional value.