Government’s diesel concept uses outdated data – media report

The German government’s recently decided concept to avoid diesel driving bans in German inner cities is based on outdated data, reports Martin Gropp for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The grand coalition decided to introduce special measures in Germany’s 14 most-polluted cities with an annual average of more than 50 micrograms nitrogen oxide per cubic metre of air. Recent data by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) – published before the government decision – would put Frankfurt on that list. It is the most important city in the federal state of Hesse, which will hold regional elections this Sunday, 28 October. Chancellor Merkel announced plans to change the law to prevent diesel driving bans in cities where the NOx level does not exceed 50 μg/m³, which she said included Frankfurt. UBA told the newspaper that the data could still change, for example when cities update their reported levels. The official European-Union-wide nitrogen dioxide limit is 40 μg/m³.

Read the article in German here and find the UBA data in German here.

Read the article Germany’s 'huge step' to solve diesel crisis leaves NGOs unconvinced and the factsheet Diesel driving bans in Germany – The Q&A for background.