Germany needs "ambitious mix of measures" to get 2030 transport emissions target in reach - report
Clean Energy Wire
Germany's new government must agree on a wide variety of policy instruments to achieve the 2030 climate target in the transport sector, a report by consultancy Prognos and commissioned by NGO Transport & Environment claims. "A high CO2 price alone is not enough to reach the tightened climate targets," the report finds, adding that "an ambitious mix of measures is necessary." Cutting emissions by the official target of 48 percent, or almost 80 million tonnes, is "extremely ambitious and will only succeed with a strong electrification of transport." The report says that electric cars will need to constitute more than 60 percent of new registrations by 2025 and 92 percent by 2030. The two best instruments to reach this goal are ambitious EU fleet emission limits and prioritising the electrification of company car fleets, the report found. It also states that a new car taxation system, emission-free zones in inner cities, and massive investments in public transport will be necessary as well.
Referencing the official start of negotiations for forming a new government on Wednesday, T&E's Jekaterina Boening said: "So far, the coalition talks do not show any urgency or concrete proposals for decarbonising transport. There is a real risk that Germany will miss its climate targets in a coalition government with the Greens." She added: "If the right measures are not implemented now, the government will have to rely on a high CO2 price that would put a heavy burden on low-income families."
Germany has been struggling to lower emissions in the transport sector, which have remained broadly stable for decades, as gains from more efficient engines have been eaten up by heavier cars. But the country has brought forward its target date for reaching climate neutrality to 2045 and has set annual emission targets for each sector to reach that goal. Emissions in the transport sector will have to drop by more than 40 percent within this decade, with increasingly steep reductions towards the end of the 2020s.
