FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Emissions Insanity Unleashed in Europe
Oct. 10, 2018 (EIRNS)—At the meeting of EU environment ministers in Brussels yesterday, it was decided that all automobiles in Europe must reduce their CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030, if possible even earlier than that. The German government, otherwise a self-proclaimed forerunner of such backward nonsense, was not even among the radicals at this meeting—Sweden, Denmark and Ireland wanted a reduction by at least 40%. Germany wanted 30%, Austria which has the chair at the EU until the end of this year, then pushed for the compromise at 35%.
German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze’s personal position was going in the 40-50% direction, she said before TV cameras with reference to the just-published IPCC report. The German government, however, with a look at the car-making sector which is strong in Germany, rejected it, so Schulze had to officially campaign for the 30%. This was bad enough anyway, and the car-makers are not happy at all.
As for Schulze, her first response to the IPCC report on Monday was: “We have to see how to make the exit from coal, oil and gas possible.” With the exit from nuclear already going on, Germany will be forced to face windy times with a bit of sunshine every now and then. Schulze is a member of the Social Democrats, not even of the Greens.
In another insane move, the district court in Berlin turned down legal complaints against the city’s plan to declare 11 zones with main roads as no-diesel zones, which is supposed to be implemented by the summer of 2019. This ought to be a reason for voters to turn against the Greens, but all opinion polls see the Greens on the rise.
