Missing climate targets in transport could cost Germany billions of euros – report

Missing its 2030 climate targets for the transport sector could cost Germany billions of euros, according to a report by the NewClimate Institute commissioned by Greenpeace. That's because Germany will likely have to buy EU emissions rights to bridge the gap. Many experts doubt Germany will meet its current climate target, which calls for the country to lower transport emissions by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels. The government currently assumes that, without additional measures, transport emissions will fall by only nine percent below 1990 levels by 2030. That would cost seven billion euros at the current emissions trading prices of around 20 euros per tonne, the report says. If the government manages to lower emissions by 20 percent, costs would still amount to five billion euros at current prices, and a reduction by 30 percent would cost three billion euros, according to the report.

Transport is the only sector in Germany where emissions have risen over the last three decades. To meet the current target, transport emissions would have to be nearly halved over the coming decade. Even many climate advocates consider this a highly ambitious objective. Germany’s emissions targets are legally binding under EU law.

A task force – similar to the country’s coal commission - is currently working on proposals for cutting transport emissions. But a leaked internal working paper has already stirred public controversy, with transport minister Andreas Scheuer dismissing ideas such as a speed limit and fuel tax hikes because they “flow in the face of common sense.”