Greta Thunberg in conversation with Sandra Maischberger

Created: 10/13/2022 4:31 am

Greta Thunberg spoke to Sandra Maischberger in favor of Germany letting its nuclear power plants run longer.

Berlin – Some Greens for nuclear power plants, some Conservatives suddenly Greta Thunberg fan. Statements by the young climate activist, whose interview with Sandra Maischberger was the focus of the program, were widely quoted, alongside a less earth-shattering topic: the state of the FDP.

For days, a statement by climate activist Greta Thunberg has been discussed and debated in political Berlin and social media: Nuclear power plants serve to protect the environment. Thunberg made this statement in an interview with Sandra Maischberger, which was recorded in Stockholm in early October and was not shown immediately on the ARD program. There has to be a bit of additional tension when you have been generating attention from a statement for days.

Approval for Greta Thunberg with Sandra Maischberger

First, the journalists invited to Maischberger were allowed to express themselves, and Thunberg unanimously agreed: from the head of the ZDF capital city studio Theo Koll, who is now rethinking his lifelong anti-nuclear stance, to the freelance journalist Eva Schulz, who said: “Greta differentiates exactly, contrary to what the discussion on social media suggests. She speaks explicitly of nuclear power plants already in operation.” And – unsurprisingly – Alexander Kissler, correspondent for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, who first had to emphasize that he was not a member of the Greta fan club before saying to Maischberger on ARD: “This statement raises the hope that Greta can also think pragmatically. So in this case: Thank you Greta!”

What did Greta Thunberg actually say? The climate activist, who is still only 19 years old, has written a book that will be published at the end of the month and was the reason for the conversation. Thunberg still demonstrates every Friday, but now sees her activism in a more differentiated way. She would have done some things differently, said Thunberg with Sandra Maischberger on ARD, for example the question of climate justice was raised earlier. However, she showed no doubts about her work, on the contrary.

Greta Thunberg with Sandra Maischberger: “It depends”

Especially not in view of the Ukraine war, which makes the topic of climate protection appear less important. For months, the German government has been looking for an answer to the question of how climate protection can be reconciled with the demand for more and more energy , as long as the nuclear power plants are still running. But of course that’s a very heated discussion.” The climate activist said not on the topic of the hour and remained thoughtful when Maischberger asked how long this should apply: “It depends.” A prudent answer, given three years ago would probably not have heard of Thunberg.

Sometimes still like the child she still is despite everything, in the interview with Maischberger she acted more thoughtfully and less inclined to generalized remarks than before. In her book, with the somewhat banal title “The Climate Book”, Thunberg not only writes about problems, but also tries to offer concrete solutions. What is most important, Sandra Maischberger wanted to know from Greta Thunberg: “Recognize that we are in an emergency, otherwise everything else is useless!” A clear, simple demand and yet so difficult to achieve.

Sandra Maischberger asks about the state of the FDP

You could find it significant, but for a long time Maischberger’s topic on ARD was not about the climate crisis – but about the FDP, an emphasis that Christian Lindner would probably welcome. Now that the Lower Saxony election is history, the governing parties could also make uncomfortable decisions, but is the FDP, the big loser in the election that failed at the 5% hurdle, capable of doing this?

“Does co-governing in the federal government harm the liberals?” Maischberger asked in her ARD program. At least the polls and the election results seem to confirm that the population has primarily identified the FDP as the traffic light problem, but is the FDP really the brakeman? Not necessarily, said Theo Koll: “All three parties are violating their core competence, not only the FDP, but also the Greens and the SPD.” Some sell this better than Christian Lindner, who even insists on maintaining the debt brake, but also is not (yet) on the government line when it comes to the question of extending the lifetime of the nuclear power plants: not only the Bavarian nuclear power plants should continue to run temporarily, but all three, and not just until spring 2023, but until 2024. “These conflicts have the potential to Blow up the traffic lights!” said Eva Schulz at Maischberger on ARD, but we haven’t got that far yet.

Wolfgang Kubicki, the deputy chairman of the FDP, dismissed any suggestion that the FDP was toying with the idea of breaking up the coalition and withdrawing from the traffic light. Keeping the ball flat was Kubicki’s motto at Maischberger on ARD and emphasized that next week, after the Greens’ federal party conference in Bonn, the Bundestag will decide what is necessary to secure the power supply.

However, Kubicki did not want to deny that the mood in the coalition is not the best: “In the beginning we had a common spirit, but there is not much of it anymore,” he said. Kubicki also commented on Gerhard Schröder and emphasized that he did not agree with the ex-Chancellor: “I told him that too. Nevertheless, we should deal differently with personalities like Gerhard Schröder. He got lost in his relationship with Vladimir Putin.” At least Kubicki didn’t call Schröder a sewer rat, like he did Turkish President Erdogan, who promptly filed a complaint.

Kubicki explained this statement with Erdogan’s threat to open the borders to more refugees, after he had collected millions from the EU to ward off refugees. Defense attorney Kubicki is just as relaxed about the advert as he is about the book publication by former FDP politician Silvana Koch-Netzin, who described the atmosphere in the party as sexist. Kubicki would have prevented assaults if he had noticed them, but he did not want to have seen mere flirting, even unsuccessful ones, in a train with sexual harassment. Maischberger was not convinced and soon promised to question Koch-mehrin on this subject, perhaps as early as next week, in Maischberger’s week. (Michael Meyns)