Associations criticize government: Transport Minister "Total failure for climate protection"

Problem Sector Transport in Focus of Criticism

This applies particularly to the problem sector of transport, but also to the building sector. The attempt to obscure responsibilities through an amendment to the Climate Protection Act and to shift climate targets to other sectors or future years will not work, warned Bals. The latter in particular is not compatible with the climate decision of the Federal Constitutional Court. The government must immediately present a plan on how the huge gap between achieving climate targets and the current efforts can be closed. He noted that an adjustment of the program before the cabinet decision is indispensable.

Germanwatch calls on the government to implement additional effective measures in the transport and building sectors in the coming weeks in order to promptly adopt a law-compliant climate protection program. Proposals for this have long been on the table: In the transport sector, a short-term effective measure is primarily the restructuring of the company car privilege towards smaller battery-electric vehicles and the introduction of a bonus-malus system in car taxation. In the medium term, it is about the intensified expansion of rail and public transport infrastructure and an end to motorway construction. In the building sector, in addition to the ramp-up of renewable heating and district heating systems, an ambitious renovation strategy is needed to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. Priority should be given to the stock built before the first thermal insulation regulation.

NABU President Jörg-Andreas Krüger doubts that the coalition wants to achieve its self-formulated climate protection goals at all. The damning verdict of the expert council is no surprise, says Krüger.

"If measures to achieve an intended goal are not suitable, generally other, more effective measures should be considered. However, the failure to meet targets in the coalition's climate protection program is evidently anticipated. The government refuses more effective solutions, although these are sufficiently known. For example, changes in the company car regulation and national minimum efficiency standards for the least energy-efficient buildings are missing. The same applies to other effective climate protection measures."

Climate Emergency Plan Demanded

The Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) also calls on the government to massively and in accordance with climate targets improve the climate protection program immediately. The government's expert council for climate issues confirmed today that the program is completely inadequate and illegal. The projection report published simultaneously by the Federal Environment Agency predicts a massive failure to meet climate targets in all future years. In light of these results, the DUH demands a "climate emergency program".

"The government's climate protection program is the opposite of responsible policy. For this reason, we are primarily demanding a climate emergency program for the transport sector. The coalition is breaking German law with the pseudo-climate protection program and at the same time trying to suppress the legally required immediate program for the transport sector and massively weaken the Climate Protection Act," said DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch.

Resch further announced that they would enforce effective climate protection in the transport sector in court, specifically mentioning a speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h on rural roads, 30 km/h as the standard speed limit in urban areas, the reduction of climate-damaging subsidies, and the expansion of climate-friendly mobility.