Traffic
Environmental organizations: Motorway construction exacerbates the climate crisis
The FDP wants motorways to be built faster. The Greens reject that. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
The coalition dispute about faster planning procedures in traffic has not yet been settled. Greenpeace and the BUND are now reporting and warning against the construction and expansion of motorways and federal roads.
In the middle of the coalition dispute over faster motorway construction, environmental groups have called for all motorway projects in Germany to be stopped.
A paper submitted by Greenpeace and the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) states that not only the use of roads is harmful to the climate. “The construction, operation and maintenance of the motorways and federal roads also makes a decisive contribution to the worsening of the climate crisis.”
Additional autobahns and federal highways made road traffic faster and more attractive. Above all, they increased the distances covered. According to the analysis by the associations, the construction and expansion of motorways and federal roads produce significantly more CO2 emissions than the environmental report on the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 shows.
BUND: Current Federal Transport Route Plan untenable
Greenpeace mobility expert Lena Donat called for a “climate check” of the Federal Transport Route Plan so that climate goals in transport can be achieved. “Until then, all highway projects should be put on hold.” BUND managing director Antje von Broock commented that the current federal transport route plan was untenable.
In the governing coalition, there has been a dispute over faster planning procedures in traffic for weeks. Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) not only wants to have bridges built faster, but also motorways. The Greens reject that. A meeting of the coalition leaders had not brought a breakthrough. Wissing argues that the road plays a crucial role in the transport of goods.