German climate plan: More cycle lanes, but no automatic speed limit
The German government on Wednesday unveiled a new package of climate measures to close the emissions gap in the transport and housing sectors as part of the country’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2045.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing said his ministry plans to boost the installation of the TSLA electric vehicle,
charging stations, developing public transport and building more cycle paths in the hope that people will leave their gas-powered RB00s behind,
cars at home.
But Wissing, a member of the business-friendly Liberal Democrat Party, said Germany would not introduce a blanket speed limit on motorways which environmental campaigners say would immediately cut emissions and reduce the exorbitant cost of fuel by reducing demand.
“As Minister of Transport, I have to weigh the objective of protecting the climate as quickly as possible on the one hand, and on the other hand keep in mind the mobility needs and the acceptance (of the measures) in society,” Wissing said.
With existing measures, the goal of limiting emissions from the transport sector to 85 million metric tons of CO2 – up from 148 million tons last year – could be achieved, he said.
Greenpeace called the plans “nebulous” and said a blanket speed limit would deliver tangible reductions in emissions. He also criticized the fact that new gas furnaces could continue to be installed until 2024, arguing that the measure should be in effect immediately so that homeowners switch to cleaner heat pumps.
Currently, many stretches of the highway have no speed limit and it is not uncommon for drivers to push their cars over 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), significantly increasing fuel consumption. fuel.
Limiting speeds on German autobahns to 100 km/h (62 mph), 80 km/h (50 mph) on country roads and 30 km/h (19 mph) in town would save up to 9, 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, said environmental group DUH.