In 1973 there were “car-free Sundays” in Germany because of the oil crisis. In the struggle to reform the climate protection law, the minister is now warning of similar restrictions – and is receiving sharp criticism.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing fueled the traffic light dispute over the Climate Protection Act with a warning about possible weekend driving bans. The Greens reacted indignantly: “A minister should not stir up unfounded concerns among people,” said deputy group leader Julia Verlinden of the German Press Agency.
“This claim is simply false.” The environmental protection organization Greenpeace described Wissing’s actions as a political indictment. The FDP politician had warned of drastic cuts for drivers if the traffic light coalition did not quickly agree on a reform of the climate protection law.
“The transport minister is trying, shamelessly and transparently, to convert the possible consequences of his own failure into political pressure,” said Greenpeace mobility expert Clara Thompson to the dpa. “Wissing wasted two years blocking every climate protection measure in road traffic – now he’s painting horror scenarios on the wall so that he doesn’t have to do anything in the future.”
“Hardly communicable measures”
According to Wissing’s argument, in order to achieve so-called climate sector goals in transport under the current law, a significant reduction in the mileage of cars and trucks would be necessary. This would “only be possible through restrictive measures that are difficult to communicate to the population, such as nationwide and indefinite driving bans on Saturdays and Sundays,” he wrote in a letter to the traffic light faction leaders in the Bundestag.
“It would be difficult to convey to people that they are only allowed to use their car on five days of the week, even though we are achieving our climate protection goals overall,” warns Wissing. The letter is available to the dpa; “Bild” first reported on it.
Green parliamentary group vice-president Verlinden countered that the current law only requires Wissing to “present a climate protection program that contains sensible proposals that lead to more climate protection in the transport sector”. There are many different options, “such as a speed limit.” Wissing and the FDP strictly reject a general speed limit on motorways.
Controversial reform
With the letter, Wissing is putting pressure on the traffic light factions during ongoing negotiations about reforming the climate protection law. The cabinet decided on this last June and the first reading in the Bundestag was in September.
According to reports, it is controversial what responsibilities departments will have in the future if CO2 savings targets are missed – as in the transport sector. A planned solar package is also linked to the Climate Protection Act.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said at an event on the Europe Calling webinar format that the solar package had been negotiated. It is politically linked to the Climate Protection Act, “where there is still a political need”. He very much hopes that the solar package will be passed really quickly.
What it’s about
The German climate goals are bindingly regulated in the Climate Protection Act. It stipulates that emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases will be reduced by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. Permissible annual emission levels have been set for individual sectors such as industry, energy, transport and buildings.
The key point so far is the following mechanism: If sectors fail to meet the targets, the responsible federal government departments have to make adjustments in the form of emergency programs – to ensure compliance with emission levels.
According to the federal government’s draft law, compliance with climate targets should no longer be checked retroactively according to the various sectors – but rather looking into the future, over several years and across sectors. In the future, the federal government as a whole should decide in which sector and with which measures the permissible total amount of CO2 should be achieved by 2030 – but only if the target is missed two years in a row.
Requirements for reducing emissions in individual specific sectors are to be abolished. The FDP in particular is pushing for a reform of the law, which is part of the coalition agreement.
Transport sector misses climate targets
According to the Federal Environment Agency, 10.1 percent fewer climate-damaging greenhouse gases were emitted in Germany in 2023 than in 2022. There were significant declines in the energy sector; the Federal Environment Agency justified this with a lower use of fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat.
According to the authority, the transport sector in particular needs to make adjustments when it comes to climate protection. He is clearly missing his climate goals again. The data is assessed by a panel of experts on climate issues. This report will be presented next Monday.
The current climate protection law stipulates: If the emissions data show that the permissible annual emissions for a sector are exceeded, the responsible federal ministry will submit an immediate program for the respective sector within three months of the assessment by the expert council.
Wissing addressed this in his letter: If the amended Climate Protection Act does not come into force before July 15th, the ministry is obliged under the current law to present an immediate program – then comes the warning of nationwide and indefinite driving bans on the weekend. Not only would citizens suffer as a result, supply chains could also be permanently disrupted, as a short-term shift in transport from road to rail would be unrealistic, wrote Wissing.
His warning brings back memories of the so-called car-free Sundays during the oil crisis: After Arab states reduced their oil production in 1973 against the backdrop of the Yom Kippur War, driving bans were imposed in the Federal Republic on four Sundays.