Ambitious EU car fleet CO2 emission limits are crucial for Germany’s 2030 transport climate targets – study

Germany can only reach its 2030 climate targets for the transport sector with ambitious EU car emission limits and a host of additional measures, according to a study by the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). “Ambitious EU fleet emission limits are a precondition for Germany to reach its transport climate targets, but they are not sufficient,” said Christian Hochfeld, director of transport think tank Agora Verkehrswende*, which commissioned the study.
Germany is aiming to cut emissions in the transport sector by 40 to 42 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. But in a business-as-usual scenario, emissions will only fall by 11 percent, resulting in a 2030 gap of around 50 million tonnes of CO₂, according to the study. “The government has ambitious transport targets, but it hasn’t yet proposed any measures for achieving them,” said Hochfeld. “The weaker the EU fleet emission limits, the larger the patchwork of measures needed on a national level.” To get anywhere near its targets for reducing CO₂ emissions, Germany also needs a profound reform of taxes and levies in the transport sector, according to Hochfeld.

Find the study and a press release in German here.

For background, read the article German environment ministry pushes for tougher EU car emission rules, and the dossiers Cargo transport and the energy transition, The energy transition and Germany’s transport sector, and The Energiewende and German carmakers.

*Like Agora Energiewende and the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Verkehrswende is funded by the Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.