13 Oct 2026
At an expert hearing in the Bavarian State Parliament on 13 October, lawmakers discussed the planned amendment to Bavaria’s Climate Protection Act. Experts voiced criticism of Bavaria’s proposed less ambitious climate targets.
On 13 October 2026, the Environment Committee of the Bavarian State Parliament discussed the planned weakening of Bavaria’s Climate Protection Act. The draft legislation proposes postponing Bavaria’s climate neutrality target from 2040 to 2045 and removing the existing emissions reduction target for 2030. Instead, Bavaria’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be assessed against the national average per-capita emissions level. Climate scientist Prof. Dr. Julia Pongratz took part in the hearing as an expert witness.
The proposed changes could weaken the binding nature of Bavaria’s climate targets and make the state’s approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions less ambitious. At the same time, adapting to climate impacts such as heat, drought and heavy rainfall remains a major challenge. The hearing forms part of the parliamentary process and does not constitute a final decision on the proposed legislation.