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“Climate lockdown” under the new climate law? Scientists suggest drastic limitations

2021-05-15T15:14:49.892Z


On Wednesday the cabinet passed a new climate law. Germany wants to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045. In order to achieve this, there could be driving bans.


On Wednesday the cabinet passed a new climate law.

Germany wants to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045.

In order to achieve this, there could be driving bans.

Berlin - The adopted climate law has already caused a lot of criticism.

Not only climate protection activists, but also the President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) - albeit with different demands.

The law went through the federal cabinet on Wednesday.

It includes ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gases.

Germany has set itself the national goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2045 compared to 1990 levels.

In the coming weeks, the federal government wants to launch an immediate program with initial measures to implement the climate targets.

Among other things, it also stipulates that landlords should in future bear half of the costs of the CO2 price on oil and gas that has been in effect since January 1st.

Scientists are now warning of errors in the government's strategy.

According to the climate law: Scientists fear government mistakes - will there be driving bans?

In the position paper that is available from

focus online

, experts criticize that Germany is foregoing technology openness and acting on its own nationally.

"It is to be feared that a rash, hectic tightening of the Climate Protection Act that is carried out without sufficient appreciation of the expected follow-up costs and collateral damage, instead of actual climate protection, will only result in a cascade of harmful interventions that are contrary to the market", write Prof. Dr.

Alexander Eisenkopf, Prof. Dr.

Thomas Koch, Prof. Dr.

Thomas Willner and the lawyer Stefan Buske.

Measures such as promoting electromobility in public transport would not be enough.

The scientists suggest that citizens would have to reckon with drastic restrictions: "If in this case the federal government, represented by the Federal Minister of Transport, will be entitled to restrict individual mobility through to mandatory use of local public transport or a ban on the use of private To ask for a car? "

According to

focus

, the Federal Constitutional Court points out that climate protection legislation actually entitles to drastic restrictions on freedom.

According to the experts, the instruments to achieve the goals must be distributed in such a way that future generations do not find themselves in a “kind of climate lockdown”.

+

Environmental activists from Fridays for Future criticized the new climate law with a protest in front of the Federal Chancellery.

(Symbol photo)

© Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

Experts warn in position paper: "Climate does not end at German borders"

The scientists therefore also propose the introduction of emissions trading in the transport sector

to bring down CO2 emissions quickly.

“A gradual capping of the upper limits would offer a market economy incentive to invest more quickly in production facilities for alternative fuels around the world, for example.

The use of regenerative energies outside the EU in places where they are in abundance reduces the national electricity demand and makes it easier to increase the proportion of regenerative energies from domestic production, ”the scientists said.

The climate would not end at Germany's borders. The draft of the climate law would not recognize this, however. “Reductions in the German emissions target and a decrease in the demand for emission rights not only result in a lower certificate price, but the free pollution rights directly benefit other emitters. There is therefore no reduction in gross or absolute terms in the EU. The goal of reducing CO2 emissions has therefore not been achieved ”.

In addition, the emissions for raw material extraction and battery construction are often only shifted to other countries where production takes place, as

focus

reports.

"This also contradicts the Federal Constitutional Court ruling, according to which no incentives may be set for other countries to undermine climate protection".

What the exact measures the government will take will be decided in the next few weeks.

(tkip)

Also interesting:

Söders climate announcement angered Greens - "So hypocritical"

List of rubric lists: © Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-05-15

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