German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday rejected claims his government was undermining the climate change fight, but insisted that industry also needed to be protected to revive the crisis-wracked economy.

Critics charge that Merz's conservative-led coalition is putting a brake on the shift to green energy through measures ranging from a planned expansion of gas power to proposals to scrap some renewable energy subsidies.

In a fiery debate in parliament marked by loud heckling from the opposition benches, the chancellor noted his critics claimed he was "undermining climate protection".

"Nothing could be further from the truth," said Merz, whose centre-right CDU/CSU bloc governs in coalition with the centre-left SPD.

He stressed he wanted climate protection "without ideology. That

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