Guest essay by Eric Worrall

German Green Leader Annalena Baerbock has apologised for suggesting German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s apparent ill health was caused by global warming.

Germany’s Green leader sorry for linking Angela Merkel’s shaking to climate crisis

German Green party leader Annalena Baerbock has tweeted her apologies after suggesting that the chancellor’s trembling may have been caused by climate disruption. Germany is currently in the middle of a heat wave.

Germany’s Green party co-leader Annalena Baerbock has apologized after suggesting that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s trembling episodes were connected to climate change.

During a press conference in Berlin on Friday, at which the German Greens were presenting their climate protection plan, Baerbock said, “regarding the hot temperatures, we can see from the chancellor it is clear that this summer climate has health consequences.”

The Green party leader then mentioned her recent trip to Iraq, where temperatures have reached 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). If such heat ever hit Germany, she said, “anyone who stands in the sun for an hour would get shaky.” “The heat doesn’t stop for chancellors either,” she added later.

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Read more: https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-green-leader-sorry-for-linking-angela-merkels-shaking-to-climate-crisis/a-49412475

Maybe someone in German can explain; was this a misjudged attempt at humour, or was the German green leader serious?