New construction of highways: UBA warns of increase in climate-damaging emissions

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has criticized Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing’s (FDP) plans to accelerate the construction of long-distance highways and pointed out the climate-damaging nature of the projects. Wissing had recently promoted highway construction also for reasons of "military security," arguing that roads must be "capable of accommodating militarily necessary transports with increased loads at any time." However, the starting point was that Wissing wants to extend the planned Acceleration Act similar to the rapid construction of LNG terminals to federal highways, which are also supposed to be in the "overriding public interest" and serve "public safety." The term "Germany speed" is being used.

The Federal Environment Agency is countering this intention now with the remark, "Germany does not necessarily need more highways, long-distance roads, or airports." UBA President Dirk Messner told the Süddeutsche Zeitung that this would increase climate-damaging emissions, which contradicts the goal of climate neutrality. "We need to find ways to enable the transport transition while protecting environmental goods," Messner further demanded.

The head of the agency also expressed doubts as to whether all the projects listed in the transport infrastructure plan really need to be built. These should be re-evaluated in light of climate change and the loss of biodiversity. It is about saving space and resources and promoting modes of transport that benefit the environment and the climate.

"This is not the road, but rail transport and inland navigation. Here we need to speed up," appealed Messner.

The Transport Infrastructure Plan was decided before the Climate Protection Act

The Ministry of Transport wants fast-track procedures for projects that are already fixed and classified as "urgent need" in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan. The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030, approved by the earlier Black-Red Coalition in 2016, has been in the works since 2011 and includes more than 1,000 projects, with 49.3 percent for roads and 41.6 percent for rail. However, the Grand Coalition later also enacted the Climate Protection Act, which partly contradicts the plans. Moreover, the current Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan lists "maintenance before new construction" as a guiding principle.

In addition, the Federal Constitutional Court legally obliged the federal government to take more decisive action against the climate crisis in order to protect the livelihoods of future generations. From this, environmental associations like Nabu derive a "constitutionally mandated planning and construction freeze for new highways and federal roads." The coalition agreement of the new traffic light government also prioritizes "rail over road" as well as "maintenance before new construction."

A recently initiated "infrastructure consensus" was supposed to seek a balance in dialogue with all stakeholders. However, the Ministry of Transport wants the talks to refer only to the next Transport Infrastructure Plan until 2040, not the current one, as environmental associations complained. This is not a dialogue, but a monologue, criticized Greenpeace and the BUND Naturschutz.