The conservationist group NABU has taken stock of Angela Merkel's government and its environmental policies, and it's not too happy with the findings. Germany is the "brake" in the EU when it comes to protecting nature.
Image: Imago/J. Große
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The current German government under Chancellor Angela Merkel is not doing enough to protect the environment, NABU, a German conservation organization, said in Berlin on Tuesday.
NABU said the one-year-old government coalition between Merkel's conservative bloc (CDU and CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) was "hiding its head in the sand" and failing to act in comparison to other EU governments.
NABU is an 120-year-old non-governmental organization in Germany dedicated to nature conservationImage: picture-alliance/dpa/H.-C. Dittrich
The German government needs to take more and faster action in the areas of climate and biodiversity protection, transportation policy and measures to reduce wasted resource;
Priority also needs to be given to current EU-level negotiations on agricultural subsidies;
The EU is currently pursuing 16 violations by Germany related to environmental short fallings;
Ministers are blocking climate goals agreed upon in the coalition document and failing to draw up concrete measures to decrease CO2 emissions;
The government is failing to achieve a protective management policy for Germany's wolf population.
However, the organization praised Germany's environment minister, SPD politician Svenja Schulze, and her "five-point plan" to reduce plastic and packaging waste and an initiative to protect insect species.
Germany braking on climate
"It remains questionable whether Merkel can actually swing the rudder around and bring the Union back on course to protect the climate," NABU's statement read.
Nabu President Olaf Tschimpke further blasted Merkel's government for its passivity: "If anything happens, then it is only as a reaction to court decisions and societal pressure."
"Across Europe Germany is the brake rather than the trailblazer in environmental protection," Tschimpke added.
Tschimpke called for stronger laws, should industry and business fail to present adequate waste reduction plans by fall in line with the Environment Ministry's "5-point plan."
Nabu also called upon Merkel and her finance minister, Olaf Scholz (SPD), to ensure around €15 billion ($17 billion) of the EU budget be tied to nature conservation each year.
What too much traffic does to our environment — and to us
Traffic jams are bad for the environment, the economy and our health. Here are the worst consequences due to traffic congestion — and the places where people suffer the most.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Kadobnov
Testing your patience
Getting into a traffic jam is every driver's nightmare. Endless minutes (or worse: hours) in which nothing's moving forward can turn what should be a short car-ride into a seemingly never-ending odyssey. But congested streets aren't just annoying for commuters — they have far-reaching consequences.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. März
Higher emissions
Turn off your engine when you get into a traffic jam! You'll save fuel after 20 seconds of standing still already. Letting your engine run while your car's idling burns one liter of fuel an hour, according to Germany's technical inspection agency TÜV Süd. A higher fuel consumption rate means that more CO2 is blasted into the atmosphere, which we should avoid if we want to fight global warming.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Fassbender
Germany's congestion capital
Germany saw roughly 745,000 traffic jams in 2018, according to German automobile club ADAC. That's a three-percent increase compared to 2017. According to GPS-maker TOMTOM's last survey, Cologne's streets were the most congested (as shown above). On average, travel time increased by more than a third because of congestion, compared to free flowing traffic.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Vennenbernd
Traffic breakdown in L.A. and Moscow
GPS-maker INRIX uses different calculations and has identified Munich as Germany's traffic jam capital. Drivers there were stuck in congestion for an average of 51 hours a year. That's nothing compared to the world leaders: The world capital of traffic jams is Los Angeles, where drivers were stuck in traffic for 102 hours a year, followed by Moscow (pictured here) and New York with 91 hours each.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Kadobnov
Endangering your health
People who are stuck in traffic frequently have to deal with serious health problems. When traffic isn't flowing as it should, your body releases stress hormones. Your immune system is weakened and your blood pressure rises. People who are frequently stuck in traffic jams, like commuters, are even likely to develop burnout syndrome.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Cirou
Billions in economic losses
According to INRIX, the costs caused by traffic jams in Germany amounted to 80 billion euros in 2017. Goods don't reach their intended recipients on time and more fuel is burned. Both companies and private drivers suffer financially. Traffic jams "threaten economic growth and stunt quality of life," INRIX head economist Graham Cookson said.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/G. Falvey
Ride-sharing apps made things worse
For a while hopes were high that ride-sharing services like Uber would bring down traffic. If people could easily get a ride, maybe they'd leave their own cars in the garage more often! But traffic researcher Bruce Schaller found out that the opposite was true in US cities. People took Uber instead of the subway or their bikes, while car owners kept driving their own vehicles.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Imaginechina/Da Qing
Traffic just one contributor to air pollution
Afghanistan's capital Kabul is also dealing with congested streets. But that's not the only factor contributing to dangerous air pollution. In winter residents have taken to burning coal, car tires and trash to generate heat. Add to that diesel generators and many, many cars and you get smog that Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) calls "deadly."
