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German transport minister rejects autobahn speed limit after report shows climate benefits
(Clean Energy Wire, 23 Jan 2023) German transport minister Volker Wissing has renewed his rejection of a general speed limit on the country’s autobahns after a report found that the measure could save almost three times more emissions than previously thought.
"Speed belongs to the citizens' own responsibility as long as others are not endangered," the Free Democrat (FDP) said, according to a report on tagesschau.de. "The state should hold back here." Wissing added that high energy prices "are already causing many people to drive more slowly." Germany’s environment agency UBA said in a report that a motorway speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour would reduce CO2 emissions by about 6.7 million tonnes a year. In an earlier report from 2020, using a different methodology, the UBA had said that a speed limit would reduce emissions by 2.6 million tonnes.
Germany aims to become climate neutral by 2045, and Wissing is under great pressure to finally launch a programme to lower transport emissions, which have remained stubbornly high for decades.
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