Environmental Reform Act of 2024 - Saxenheim

Rationale

To ensure the environment is protected, changes must be made to how our economy operates.

Proposed Changes

	Law	Previous	Proposed
1	Waste Management	Licensed landfill and incineration with basic recycling targets	Deposit-return schemes, compulsory household separation and landfill caps
2	Agricultural Environmental Standards	Baseline standards for pesticides, fertiliser and animal density	Strict limits on pesticides and nitrogen, with mandatory buffer strips
3	Land Conservation & Rewilding	Expand protected areas	Large-scale rewilding and new reserves
4	Water Usage & Allocation	Abstraction licences for large users	Compulsory metering and conservation targets
5	Carbon Pricing	Low carbon price on heavy industry only	Economy-wide carbon price at a moderate rate

1

Waste Management

Previous law

Licensed landfill and incineration with basic recycling targets

Deposit-return schemes, compulsory household separation and landfill caps

2

Agricultural Environmental Standards

Previous law

Baseline standards for pesticides, fertiliser and animal density

Strict limits on pesticides and nitrogen, with mandatory buffer strips

3

Land Conservation & Rewilding

Previous law

Expand protected areas

Large-scale rewilding and new reserves

4

Water Usage & Allocation

Previous law

Abstraction licences for large users

Compulsory metering and conservation targets

5

Carbon Pricing

Previous law

Low carbon price on heavy industry only

Economy-wide carbon price at a moderate rate

Proposer

Party

Alliance23

An alliance of greens, social liberals, social democrats and progressives advocating for individual freedoms, equality, environmental protections and a fairer economy for all.

Core pillars

Elias Schmidt

Activist · Age 32

31,274 social followers

Rising from a working-class neighborhood, Elias Schmidt’s natural charm and media savvy turned him into the party’s youngest rising star, captivating audiences with his fiery speeches and relatable persona.

✨ Charismatic 📺 Media Savvy 🔨 Working Class Background

Timeline

Draft

2 July 2024
Vote Open

2 July 2024
Vote Closed

31 August 2024
Became Law

31 August 2024

Vote tally

Live tally across each chamber. Weighted by seats held.

Bundesrat

Passed

44Yes 20No 5Not voted 69 seats

For: 44 / 69 seats (63.8%)

Against: 20 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 5

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 68.8%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights	31	Yes	The green transition is a necessity, as the world won't be waiting forever for us to take action; it is also an occasion to create new markets and improve the competitiveness of our industries. For this reason, we'll wholeheartedly support this package. We also want to remark how these changes are gradual and realistic: we fail to understand how they could be deemed as not sustainable.
Alliance23 Proposer	8	Yes	No reason given
Left Forward	5	Yes	We need better waste separation, less pesticide use and stronger protection for our water and farmland. But we have to be careful with an economy-wide carbon price. Low-income households and small farms must not end up paying for changes they can barely afford. Environmental protection only works if people can live with it.
Saxenheim Workers’ Union	20	No	The measures would impose excessive costs and restrictions on households, agriculture, and industry. While environmental protection is important, these policies could weaken domestic production, raise prices, and expand bureaucracy. Environmental policy should balance conservation with economic stability and national self-sufficiency.
Empty seats	5	Not voted

Bundestag

Passed

411Yes 187No 52Not voted 650 seats

For: 411 / 650 seats (63.2%)

Against: 187 · Abstained: 0 · Not voted: 52

50.1% of those voting must vote in favour (actual = 68.7%)

Party	Seats	Vote	Reason
Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights	286	Yes	The green transition is a necessity, as the world won't be waiting forever for us to take action; it is also an occasion to create new markets and improve the competitiveness of our industries. For this reason, we'll wholeheartedly support this package. We also want to remark how these changes are gradual and realistic: we fail to understand how they could be deemed as not sustainable.
Alliance23 Proposer	75	Yes	No reason given
Left Forward	50	Yes	We need better waste separation, less pesticide use and stronger protection for our water and farmland. But we have to be careful with an economy-wide carbon price. Low-income households and small farms must not end up paying for changes they can barely afford. Environmental protection only works if people can live with it.
Saxenheim Workers’ Union	187	No	The measures would impose excessive costs and restrictions on households, agriculture, and industry. While environmental protection is important, these policies could weaken domestic production, raise prices, and expand bureaucracy. Environmental policy should balance conservation with economic stability and national self-sufficiency.
Empty seats	52	Not voted

Voting record

Every vote must state a public reason. Most recent first.

Left Forward

Voted Aug. 14, 2024

Yes

“We need better waste separation, less pesticide use and stronger protection for our water and farmland. But we have to be careful with an economy-wide carbon price. Low-income households and small farms must not end up paying for changes they can barely afford. Environmental protection only works if people can live with it.”

Alliance For Digital Freedom And Rights

Voted July 23, 2024

Yes

“The green transition is a necessity, as the world won't be waiting forever for us to take action; it is also an occasion to create new markets and improve the competitiveness of our industries. For this reason, we'll wholeheartedly support this package. We also want to remark how these changes are gradual and realistic: we fail to understand how they could be deemed as not sustainable.”

Saxenheim Workers’ Union

Voted July 17, 2024

No

“The measures would impose excessive costs and restrictions on households, agriculture, and industry. While environmental protection is important, these policies could weaken domestic production, raise prices, and expand bureaucracy. Environmental policy should balance conservation with economic stability and national self-sufficiency.”