Sylvia Kotting-Uhl (born 29 December 1952) is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens who served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Baden-Württemberg from 2005 until 2021.
Early life and career Kotting-Uhl spent her childhood in northern Baden. After graduating from high school she studied German, English and art history in Heidelberg, Edinburgh and Zaragoza. Afterwards she worked as a dramaturg at the Baden State Theatre, but when she started her family she decided on an "alternative life in the Kraichgau with self-catering tendencies".
In a second professional life, from 1985 onwards, Kotting-Uhl built up a children's workshop, which she ran for more than ten years and to which a women's workshop is now also affiliated. She also worked as a lecturer for independent educational institutions and completed a distance learning course in psychology.
Political career From 2003 until 2005, Kotting-Uhl served as co-chair (alongside Andreas Braun) of the Green Party in Baden-Württemberg.
From the 2005 national elections, Kotting-Uhl was a member of the German Bundestag. She served as chairwoman of the Committee on Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. From 2005 until 2009, she was also a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Board on Sustainable Development.
In addition to her committee assignments, Kotting-Uhl was part of the German-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Group, which she chaired from 2014 until 2018.
From 2014 to 2016, Kotting-Uhl was one of the members of the country's temporary National Commission on the Disposal of Radioactive Waste, chaired by Ursula Heinen-Esser and Michael Müller.Abschlussbericht der Kommission Lagerung hoch radioaktiver Abfallstoffe
Following the 2016 state elections in Baden-Württemberg, Kotting-Uhl was part of the Winfried Kretschmann’s team in the negotiations between the Green Party and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on a coalition agreement for Germany's first state government led by the Greens.Roland Muschel (April 7, 2016), Kein Geld für teure Wünsche Badische Zeitung.
In 2017, Kotting-Uhl made news headlines when she successfully filed a complaint against the Government of the United Kingdom for a breach of the Aarhus Convention by failing to notify the German public of the potential environmental impacts of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.Adam Vaughan (July 6, 2017), Hinkley Point C: UK censured for failing to consult German public The Guardian.
In early 2020, Kotting-Uhl announced that she would not stand in the 2021 federal elections but instead resign from active politics by the end of the parliamentary term.Theo Westermann (January 22, 2020), Karlsruher Bundestagsabgeordnete Kotting-Uhl tritt nicht mehr an Badische Neueste Nachrichten.
Other activities German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2018)Board of Trustees German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU).Bettina Hagedorn und Sylvia Kotting-Uhl DBU-Kuratorinnen German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), press release of May 31, 2018. Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE), Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2017)Supervisory Board Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (BGE). German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), Member Greenpeace, Member World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Member
References
External links
Bundestag biography