The Minister for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Carsten Schneider, will not get the usual 100-day grace period as a newcomer to office. His official schedule for the current week is almost empty: It only includes the inaugural visits to Bonn, the Ministry’s second official residence, and to his Polish counterpart in Warsaw. Nevertheless, Carsten Schneider is unlikely to get bored. He must quickly acquire the necessary environmental and climate expertise from his new office, the BMUKN, because the tasks are pressing: Immediately after the Minister took office, the Expert Council for Climate Issues called for swift action, important financial decisions are pending, and Schneider has to assert himself against Economics Minister Reiche.