During his short visit to the UN COP30 summit in Brazil last week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz was keen to present himself as serious about climate protection. 

"We are at a crossroads," Merz told world leaders in the Amazon city of Belem, emphasizing all countries must act now on climate change in the interest of their security and long-term prosperity.

But since his election to in May, Merz has far from played the role of a climate leader —  and his visit to Brazil did little to change that. 

Economic growth the focus at home

Economic growth is the top priority for Germany’s coalition government, led by the conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

By focusing on industry, infrastructure, digitalization, and reducing bureaucracy, critics have accused the coalition of putting sustainability on the back burner.

In Belem, CDU leader Merz said Germany is focusing on innovation and technology to curb climate change, neglecting to mention that the tech for drastically reducing emissions — namely renewables — has long been available. 

Merz is committed to the German and European climate targets, but these are not enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the threshold scientists say is crucial to preventing the worst impacts of climate change. The temperature limit was set out in the Paris Agreement adopted over a decade ago. 

German climate reputation under threat 

Countries like Germany, whose high living standards today are underpinned by early fossil fuel-led growth and industrialization, are seen has having a greater responsibility to act on climate change. Because CO2 lingers in the atmosphere for centuries, those past emissions continue to heat the planet.

Despite being a relatively small emitter now compared to the US or China, the country is in the top 10 carbon polluters. And Merz's downplaying of Germany's role and responsibility in fighting global warming threatens the image it has gained as a climate pioneer, say critics. 

Addressing the Bundestag in summer he stated, "if we were all climate neutral in Germany tomorrow, not a single natural disaster in the world would be prevented."

Merz's stance raises doubts over whether the country will deliver its current goals of cutting emissions 65% compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2045. 

"In recent months, Friedrich Merz has failed to chart a clear course on climate protection. Instead, he has contributed to uncertainty in society," said Martin Kaiser, executive director of Greenpeace Germany. 

Climate change is already taking a toll in Germany. More and more people are experiencing extreme heat, while the economy is being impacted by crop losses and shortages of raw material caused by global warming.  

The costs of a warmer world could amount to €900 billion ($1 trillion) for the country by 2050, according to a study last year by the German ministry of economics and climate protection.

How sustainable is German economic policy really?

International climate policy also plays "a key role in promoting foreign trade," according to German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. 

"German companies are leaders in clean technologies, circular economy, and water systems. Goal-oriented pragmatism — that's what defines our government's climate policy," added Wadephul. 

Yet current measures leave the country far from meeting the Paris Agreement.

Germany could even miss its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045, according to the Council of Experts on Climate Change, an independent scientific panel that advises the federal government.

Germany has also been pushing back against certain aspects of an EU decision to ban combustion engines by 2035 and Economic Affairs and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche is focusing on expanding the country's gas infrastructure. 

Reiche must realize that "climate policy is not an economic obstacle, but is primarily about securing long-term prosperity," Ottmar Edenhofer, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, told DW.

Why Germany is slowing down EU's ambition

Niklas Höhne, a scientist and climate policy expert at the non-profit NewClimate Institute, emphasized that the German government is partly to blame for the EU's slowdown on climate action.

In the recently negotiated EU climate targets, Germany advocated for a weakening of the proposed 90% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels. 

It argued that measures in other countries financed by Germany and the EU should be counted as European climate protection. This resulted in the introduction of a compromise that countries could buy foreign carbon credits — for example, from reforestation projects — to cover up to 5% of emissions cuts. 

Critics say this will slow down the EU's energy transition and that it's uncertain whether credible CO2 certificates could be acquired on the scale necessary to account for the bloc's reduction targets.

Germany arriving in Belem with empty pockets 

"Following the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, it is now crucial to keep things together. We can succeed in this," said Environment Minister Carsten Schneider before his departure for COP30 in Belem.

What he didn't address was how this would be achieved.

At COP29 last year, Germany honored its pledge and contributed around €6 billion in climate financing. However, the non-governmental organization Oxfam warns this may no longer be feasible as the country as budgetary pressures mount.

So, Germany is likely arriving in Belem with empty pockets.

At the heads-of-state meeting on November 6, Brazil launched a fund to protect tropical forests which aims to raise $25 billion (€21.5 billion) in public financing, which would then be quadrupled by private investors. The returns will be used to reward forest protection efforts in tropical countries. 

Early pledges to the fund include $3 billion from Norway and $1 billion from Indonesia, which will be added to the $1 billion already committed by Brazil. Merz said Germany would contribute "a significant amount" but fell short of naming figures. 

Current policies put the planet on track for 2.8 degrees Celsius (5 Fahrenheit) of warming by 2100 and no country is doing enough to limit temperature rise to under 1.5C. But there's "no reason for resignation," said German Environment Minister Schneider. 

"Even though there is still much to be done, it is important to recognize the progress made and build on it," said Schneider in a statement, adding that Germany's contributions to the climate conference include "not only many concrete initiatives but also optimism and confidence."

Whether this will result in tangible progress at COP30 remains to be seen. 

This article was originally written in German.