Plans for new German motorways clash with transport emissions targets - NGO
Clean Energy Wire
The planning of new motorways and major roads by the German federal government is inconsistent with the necessity of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector and protecting biodiversity, environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) has said. BUND suggests more environmentally-friendly alternatives for 12 Autobahn and other road construction projects and argues that in light of the country’s goal of reducing emissions from transport by 42 percent by 2030, all new road projects should be re-evaluated. The money saved should be used to improve rail cargo infrastructure and other climate-friendly alternatives for passenger and goods transport.
Germany is planning to build more than 1,000 new motorways or major national roads by 2030, BUND writes. The NGO calls on the government to revise the federal road requirement plan and include a strategic environmental assessment as required under EU law. Protests by climate activists against a new motorway section through the Dannenröder Forest in the German state of Hesse at the end of 2020 have led to a rift between the protesters -- some of whom are close to the Fridays for Future movement -- and the state’s Green Party, which said the project could no longer be stopped.
