Wissing is threatening weekend driving bans in the dispute over climate targets

A dispute over the reform of the climate protection law threatens to escalate in the traffic light coalition. Transport Minister Wissing is now threatening drastic measures, including driving bans on weekends.

In the months-long dispute over the new climate protection law, Transport Minister Volker Wissing is now threatening weekend driving bans. “The fact that the amendment is still not in force leads to considerable legal and factual uncertainty, which serves neither the climate nor the reputation of the federal government,” the FDP politician wrote to the parliamentary group leaders of the traffic light coalition in a letter.

If the new law does not come into force before mid-July, according to the current climate law, he would also have to react with driving bans. This is the only way to reduce emissions in his sector in accordance with the law.

Greens reject Wissing’s statements

“A corresponding reduction in traffic performance 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.” About the letter had initially the “Bild” reports.

The deputy Green party leader Julia Verlinden rejected Wissing’s statements. “This claim is simply false,” Verlinden told the dpa news agency: “A minister should not stir up unfounded concerns among people.”

Wissing ignored warnings from experts

The background is that the transport sector has repeatedly exceeded its existing requirements regarding permitted CO2 emissions. This was proven to him again in March with a view to 2023. On Monday, the Expert Council for Climate Issues is expected to confirm the figures and point out that, according to the law, Wissing must present an immediate program to get back on track for climate change.

In the past, Wissing had ignored this and pointed out that the law should be changed. It should give the individual sectors more leeway and make it possible to balance the annual targets with other areas such as the energy industry. However, the traffic light coalition has not been able to agree on a resolution in the Bundestag in the past nine months.

That’s what it’s all about Climate Protection Act

The climate protection goals are bindingly regulated in the law. It stipulates that climate-damaging emissions of 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. The departments in whose responsibility climate targets are missed still have a “political responsibility,” Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said in June when presenting the plans. The current law looks good on paper, but in reality it has had too little effect, said Habeck: “No pig has adhered to it.”