Politicalleaders rely on vehicle inspections from CO2 emitters, a controversial company known for releasing harmful pollutants.
The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has published a comprehensive overview of the carbon emissions of official vehicles at the federal and state levels, highlighting the most significant findings in a recent report (PDF).
The report reveals that Transport Minister Schneider has received a "red card" for his emission-intensive plug-in hybrid vehicle, which emits 185 grams of CO2 per kilometre driven. On the other hand, Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Kretschmann's electric car emits only 70 grams of CO2, making it one of the most efficient vehicles in the fleet.
The share of purely battery-electric official cars at the federal level has risen slightly from 50 to 57 percent compared to last year. The average CO2 emissions for pure electric vehicles are 67 grams per kilometer, significantly lower than the 196 grams for conventional engines and 185 grams for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Bavarian Minister-President Söder's petrol car emits the most CO2, with 292 grams per kilometre driven. Among the federal ministers' official cars, Environment Minister Schneider's electric car leads with 62 grams of CO2 emissions. However, seven out of eleven federal ministers received a "red card" for using climate-damaging official cars.
In a comparison of state environmental ministries, twelve green cards are awarded, while red cards are given to the environmental ministers of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hesse, and Saxony-Anhalt. The Greens have an acceptable service vehicle fleet with an average of 85 grams of CO2 per kilometre, while the governing parties SPD and CDU/CSU receive a red card.
The DUH plans to increasingly check the efficiency of the electric cars used in the future. However, no specific CO2 emission data for the vehicles of individual ministers were provided in this report.
The report also reveals that 151 out of 238, or 63 percent, of all official cars at the federal and state levels significantly exceed the EU fleet limit for new registrations of 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometre. All state governments except Berlin and Hamburg receive red cards from DUH.
The report serves as a call for action to improve the carbon emissions of official vehicles and promote the use of more environmentally friendly transportation options. The DUH urges politicians to lead by example and make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change.
