MWith a warning about possible weekend driving bans, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing fueled the traffic light dispute over the Climate Protection Act. A reduction in mileage 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.
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 is painting horror scenarios on the wall so that he doesn’t have to do anything in the future.”
SPD traffic expert Isabel Cademartori also considers Wissing's approach to be questionable. She is in favor of quickly completing the traffic light on the new climate protection law. But there are a variety of options for saving CO2. Wissing's approach is also questionable. “We have enough uncertainties in the transport sector,” she told Reuters.
Wissing defends himself against criticism
Wissing sharply rejected the criticism. The sector consideration in the currently applicable climate protection law means that “we have to save 22 million CO2 equivalents immediately,” said the FDP politician on Deutschlandfunk on Friday. “And 'we' in this case are all citizens who are affected by car traffic, by delivery traffic – basically each and every one of us.” Such savings cannot be achieved with a speed limit or other measures, but rather on an ad hoc basis Only by giving up the car and truck did Wissing confirm his move from the previous day.
Wissing emphasized that a day's driving ban on the weekend would only bring about half of the necessary savings commitments, “so that we would have to permanently and indefinitely do without cars and trucks for two days a week.” Those like Greenpeace and the Greens who always say “The climate protection law must remain as it is. They may now be frightened by the consequences of their policies, but you cannot simply ignore reality,” said the transport minister.
“Hardly communicable measures”
“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, dated Thursday, 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.
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