German top politicians' cars exceed CO2 targets: study – DW – 08/19/2025
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If EU emissions targets for the car industry were applied to top German politicians' official vehicles, the fleet would fail, according to a climate body's new study. DUH said it was "emblematic" of German carmakers.

If EU emissions targets for the car industry were applied to top German politicians’ official vehicles, the fleet would fail, according to a climate body’s new study. DUH said it was “emblematic” of German carmakers.

  • sobanto@feddit.orgEnglish
    0·
    27 days ago

    The chancellor and deputy chancellor — as well as the ministers for finance, the interior, defense and health — were all excluded from the study. The reason for this is that these vehicles are all armored, meaning that they are sure to be much heavier than standard models and therefore less energy efficient.

    I thought this would be the reason to the headline, but nope. By now are usable electric cars for longer distances available, even from German companys: VW ID.7, BMW I7, I5, I4, Mercedes EQS and EQE. And to be honest, I don’t think many of them would even need to charge at all, Germanys Bundesländer aren’t that big (mostly).

    • Saleh@feddit.orgEnglish
      0·
      27 days ago

      From the previous “Ampel” government all ministers except one took their Limousines from the inauguration in 2021 to the parliament, which was just a few kilometers. The minister for agriculture and member of the green party, Cem Özdemir took the bike.

      As he later pushed shitty environmentally unfriendly policy, that turned out to be just a stunt, but the other ministers of the green party could have done the same. Or they could have agreed that the ministers are distributed among three mini-busses or so, instead of everyone in their own limousine. Just some practical gesture showing that they pretend to care and don’t except themselves from the calls made to the public to lower their emissions.

      • Melchior@feddit.orgEnglish
        0·
        27 days ago

        To be fair, they all had full electric cars. Besides Habeck who was not allowed due to no armored EV being available.

        • CosmoNova@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          26 days ago

          Thank you! I think I’m going crazy from how strictly the greens are criticized in today’s messed up political landscape. They could ride a bike to work and some leftist will scold them for doing a full toilet flush when doing small business or something. It’s never enough. Meanwhile the majority of the parliament happily watches the people and the planet burn.

    • Melchior@feddit.orgEnglish
      0·
      27 days ago

      They basically calculate the emissions targets wrong, as they include the emissions from producing the electricity for EVs. EU regulation however calls those zero, as the emissions are part of the electricity sector targets.

      Also a good number use EVs. I believe the Greens are pretty much fully EV by now or did not choose to have a car at all, which obviously only really works in city states.