They are words that sound as if from another era. While Europe groans under heatwaves, extreme weather destroys harvests, and insurance companies begin pulling out of entire regions, Michael Kretschmer strikes a different tone: Germany, says the Minister President of Saxony, does not need to be climate neutral by 2045. 2050 will suffice. Growth before change is his formula – one that is dangerously regressive. Kretschmer is engaging in what must be called political revisionism of responsibility. In an interview with WirtschaftsWoche, he openly questions the climate goal that has been enshrined in the German constitution since March. His argument: energy security, competitiveness, and the need to finance social systems. It is the old mantra of the delayers, cloaked in the rhetoric of economic reason.he stellt er das seit März im Grundgesetz verankerte Klimaziel offen infrage. Das Argument: Energiesicherheit, Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, soziale Finanzierungsnotwendigkeiten. Es ist das altbekannte Mantra der Verzögerer, eingekleidet in die Rhetorik wirtschaftlicher Vernunft.
But behind this rhetoric lies more than skepticism – it is a systematic dismantling. As early as 2023, Kretschmer downplayed Germany’s role in global climate change, pointing to the country’s comparatively small share of emissions – as if the moral responsibility of an industrial nation of 80 million people could be dismissed that easily. Criticism followed promptly, especially from Fridays for Future, accusing him of a lack of vision and “a sellout of our ecological future.” In 2025, Kretschmer is now taking this stance further with calculated clarity. The expansion of wind power is happening “too fast,” and the number of hours with negative electricity prices is a sign of overproduction – all while ignoring that such price signals are an expression of a transitional phase that can only be mitigated through strategic grid expansion and storage solutions. What Kretschmer offers instead is a straw man: as if Saxony needs to be protected from clean energy.
And once again, the lignite coal phaseout is invoked – the eternal specter of supposed overreach. Kretschmer speaks of the destruction of prosperity, where others speak of transformation. Of speed as the problem, not as the answer to an escalating crisis. The fact that Germany is securing structural change in eastern regions with billions in support goes unmentioned in his narrative. This attitude is not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern: Saxony’s government approved just two new wind turbines in the entire first quarter of 2025 – a disgrace in an era where every kilowatt hour counts. Instead of promoting solutions, Kretschmer clings to the image of an overwhelmed citizen, supposedly steamrolled by climate protection. An image that fits populist narratives – and is therefore dangerous.
Because it ignores what is truly at stake. Climate neutrality is not an ideology – it is a necessity. The economic costs of inaction already exceed the costs of transition. Every month that Germany keeps its foot on the brake is a month future generations can no longer afford. Michael Kretschmer may see himself as the voice of the realists. In truth, however, he aligns himself with those politicians who cling to the status quo instead of facing the future with courage. Those who speak this way are not just questioning climate goals – they are questioning the very principle of political responsibility.
2050 is not a goal. It is a retreat. And it leads straight into a dead end.
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