Schwerin (dpa/mv) – On the occasion of World Environment Day on Sunday, the Greens in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are appealing for the preservation of natural carbon dioxide storage. In order to limit global warming, it is “essential to preserve intact moors and forests as natural CO2 stores. Unfortunately, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s forests have suffered greatly from the last few years of drought and are therefore more susceptible to disease or pest infestation,” said state chairman Ole Krüger on Friday. According to the latest forecasts from the World Weather Organization, the global average temperature could be 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial revolution levels as early as 2026.

Staying below this level was set as a target in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Krüger called for a strategy for reforestation and the conversion of species-poor coniferous forests into near-natural deciduous forests from the state government.