Jobs, incomes and Germany's flagging economy are major focuses for the country's political parties ahead of elections this month, with many taking aim at climate-protection measures.

Friedrich Merz — chairman of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and widely tipped to be the country's next chancellor — has said he would wind down coal and gas power plants only if it didn't damage German industry.

Even parties active on climate issues are less vocal on the topic than during 2021's election.

This has left some experts concerned that the economy is taking precedence over the climate, although research from the Climate Alliance, a German coalition of civil society groups, found most of the population would like to see more climate action.

"It is already evident that, in the run-up to the federal elections, the climate and the economy are once again being played off against each other," said Claudia Kemfert, an economist and energy expert at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW).

For the first time in decades, Germany's economy, the biggest in Europe, has shrunk for two consecutive years.

Its industrial export-orientated economy has been hit by high energy prices, as well as sluggish domestic demand and weak global trade. At the same time, its car industry — the iconic backbone of its economy — has announced mass layoffs and shrinking sales and profits.

Climate-change mitigation policy isn't........

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