Berlin’s senate has agreed on new measures to battle climate change in the city. The measures include a ban on petrol and diesel cars, stringent environmental specifications for new buildings, and an upgrade of the region’s energy networks to accommodate a switch to hydrogen power.
Though many countries have made the move to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040, Germany is one of the few nations that has chosen to leave the decision to individual cities and federal states for the time being.
Following the lead of the Dutch capital Amsterdam, Berlin’s Senate has enacted a law to transition towards becoming a low-carbon city, focusing on improving access to public transport, and bike rentals, regulating car-sharing services and e-scooters, and banning non-electric cars from the city centre by 2030.
The new laws took more than two years of debate and modification in the Senate, and they now cover a range of environmental issues that affect the German capital. The plans include carbon-reduction measures for the city’s airports, including the newly opened BER airport, and a funding programme for the renovation of existing buildings.
The plans have however dropped an initial proposal for a 365-euro public transport ticket, which would allow people to travel within the city for one euro per day, for a whole year. The ticket, though a popular idea, would be costly for the government and transport companies and, according to Environment and Transport Senator Regine Günther (Greens), the prerequisites required for such a scheme are currently “lacking”.