Construction stop of climate-damaging mobility infrastructure
What's the problem?
Road traffic is responsible for around 13% of human greenhouse gases worldwide. In Germany it is 17%. Air traffic is responsible for around 7% of the greenhouse effect worldwide. CO2 emissions from car traffic in Germany has even been increasing in the last twenty years. According to the current German government, car traffic will grow a further 10% and truck traffic 17% by 2030. Despite the Paris climate agreement and the UN species protection treaty of Rio de Janeiro, the infrastructure of mobility with cars and airplanes will continuously be expanded. In Berlin, the highway A 100 is still in construction, A 143 near Halle, A 14 near Magdeburg , the A 20 near Lübeck and many more. At the municipal level, traffic planning is still focused on car traffic as well. A major expansion of air traffic is also planned in Berlin and Vienna. Even though there are already too many cars and planes to reach the 1.5 degree climate goal. To achieve decarbonisation by the middle of the century, the transport sector, which is currently responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases in Germany, must also achieve 0% emissions. This climate-damaging growth can only be stopped with a very strong political decision.
What’s the measure?
A halt to the expansion and further planning of climate-damaging transport infrastructure and thus no further growth of the road network and flight infrastructure.
What can the implementation look like?
By changing the focus of the transport politics, funds which are used for and designated to the expansion of climate-damaging mobility infrastructure are to be used for a comprehensive expansion of the railways instead.
How does this work against climate change?
This will put an end to the growth of the private motorised transport and air traffic, which can finance and promote a turnaround in mobility by investing the saved money in sustainable transport infrastructure (rail expansion, night trains, public transport).
What other positive effects does the measure have?
- Prevention/reduction of future land sealing through transport infrastructure - Prevention of the fragmentation of landscape and habitats
How quickly can the measure be implemented?
It is primarily a political decision in transport politics which could be implemented immediately.
How long will it take for the measure to have an effect?
Stopping the construction and planning would be a strong political signal to the economy and society and would have an direct effect and would cause a necessary rethinking in the field of mobility. Every newly built road not only facilitates the growth of car traffic, but also harms the environment and the climate, through an enormous consumption of resources in construction and the associated land sealing and landscape fragmentation. This means that the construction and planning stop would already save resources in the near future. If the money saved is invested correctly, the measure can greatly accelerate the mobility turnaround in general, which could save greenhouse gas emissions in just a few years by reducing private motorised transport and aviation.
References to other measures
As already mentioned several times, the construction stop must be accompanied by the expansion of the railway, but could co-finance it and thus accelerate it.
