Klaus critical of German chancellor’s initiative on climate

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has expressed “wonder” over German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s approach to climate change, making clear in an interview for German magazine Wirtschaftswoche that as a student of physics Mrs Merkel should be able to counter what Mr Klaus called environmentalists’ “disputable” hypotheses. In the interview, Mr Klaus said the chancellor’s plans aimed at the next fifty years reminded him of so-called “Five-Year Plans” under communism. He also repeated earlier criticism that the debate over global warming was becoming - in his view - the central ideological conflict of the present day.

In another interview this week, the Czech president – well-known for his sceptical views on global warning - also criticised former US vice president, environmentalist Al Gore, recently jointly-awarded the Nobel Peace prize, together with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Author: Jan Velinger