Germany
GERMANY'S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER ANNOUNCES DRAFT CLIMATE PROTECTION LAW
11/12/2018
Update Volume
48
Update Issue
32

On November 7, Germany's Environment Minister, Svenja Schulze, announced she would soon present a draft climate protection law that would assign all sectors specific targets for reducing their carbon dioxide emissions. Under the new law, fossil fuel use would become more expensive for transport or buildings while electricity would become cheaper. For the full story, see https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-germany-environment/germany-to-give-a….

GERMAN COURT ISSUES HALT ON FOREST CLEARING
10/08/2018
Update Volume
48
Update Issue
28

On October 5, a German administrative court issued a temporary halt to the clearing of Hambach Forest by an energy company wishing to expanding its adjacent lignite strip mine. An environmental group argued that the forest deserved protected status because of the bats that reside there. The court found that the legal questions raised over the forest's status were too complex to rule on the issue in accelerated proceedings, and thus determined that a halt was necessary to prevent irreversible changes being made.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION TAKES ACTION ON AIR POLLUTION
05/21/2018
Update Volume
48
Update Issue
15

Last week, in a series of moves related to air quality, the European Commission proposed measures to help member states combat air pollution. The Commission also referred France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to the EU Court of Justice for failure to respect limit values for nitrogen dioxide and for failing to take appropriate measures to keep exceedance periods as short as possible. In addition, it referred Hungary, Italy, and Romania to the Court of Justice over persistently high levels of particulate matter.

GERMAN COURT DELAYS RULING ON DIESEL BAN
02/26/2018
Update Volume
48
Update Issue
6

Germany’s highest federal administrative court delayed its pending ruling on a diesel ban to February 27. The ruling on whether major cities will be allowed to ban high-polluting diesel cars poses substantial financial implications, impacting the resale value of up to 15 million vehicles and causing automakers to pay for expensive vehicle modifications. In recent proceedings, lawyers considered whether the government would need to introduce a new car-labelling scheme to enable the enforcement of any potential future bans.

GERMANY DISCUSSES PLAN TO RETROFIT VEHICLES THAT HAVE EXCESS EMISSIONS
02/05/2018
Update Volume
48
Update Issue
4

In 2017, like some other European countries and cities, the German government announced a plan that would eventually remove diesel vehicles from the roads. A governing coalition, including Chancellor Merkel's conservative bloc, is discussing a plan to allow automakers to install new hardware in older diesel models to improve emissions rather than remove them from the roads. In August 2017, the industry agreed to provide software updates and trade-in incentives aimed at improving air quality in cities seeking to stem growing smog.

GERMAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATS FAVOR OF AGGRESSIVE SWITCH TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES
08/14/2017
Update Volume
47
Update Issue
23

The German Social Democrats Party (SPD) wants European-wide vehicle quotas to accelerate the shift towards electric cars. The SPD believes that without quotas for electric cars the European Union could miss its carbon dioxide emission targets, and that an obligatory minimum number of electric cars for Germany and Europe would give car makers incentives to develop new technologies.

GERMAN CARMAKERS TO OVERHAUL DIESEL ENGINE SOFTWARE TO CUT POLLUTION
08/07/2017
Update Volume
47
Update Issue
22

German politicians and car manufacturers agreed to overhaul the engine software on 5.3 million diesel cars to cut pollution. This decision comes on the heels of two decisions by Britain and France to eventually ban diesel and gasoline vehicles in the near future. German manufacturers have taken heat after the admission by Volkswagen that it cheated U.S. diesel emissions tests two years ago. The auto industry is Germany's biggest exporter and provides 800,000 jobs. For the full story see http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-emissions-idUSKBN1AH5FO. 

GERMANY TO PROPOSE A GLOBAL CARBON PRICE AT G20 SUMMIT
03/20/2017
Update Volume
47
Update Issue
9

In the wake of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, many countries are moving forward with plans to cut carbon emissions. One country, Germany, is preparing research that purports to show huge support among businesses for a transition towards a low-carbon economy. The German government plans to reveal this report, along with a plan to have a fixed carbon price, at the G20 Summit in July 2017. Germany believes that a carbon price is essential to both the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN goal of sustainable development.

GERMAN GOVERNMENT TO ASSIST UTILITIES WITH NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL
10/24/2016
Update Volume
46
Update Issue
30

Last week, the German cabinet approved a deal to move the responsibility for nuclear waste disposal and storage from utilities to the state. The deal will require the four utilities operating Germany’s nuclear plants to pay 23.3 billion Euros (US $25.32 billion) to cover interim storage, transport, and final disposal of radioactive wastes; any additional costs will be covered by the state.

GERMAN GOVERNMENT AGREES TO FRACKING BAN
06/27/2016
Update Volume
46
Update Issue
18

The coalition government in Germany agreed to ban fracking for shale gas. According to the decision, only test drilling will be allowed, with permission of the relevant state government. Industry in Germany would like to keep the option of fracking open, arguing that it lowers energy costs, but Germany has a strong green lobby opposed to fracking. If the law is approved by the German parliament, Germany will join France, which has already banned fracking.

You must be an ELR subscriber to access the full content.

You are not logged in. To access this content: