The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has launched a scathing critique of the Federal Government’s draft proposal to reform the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target (THG quota), accusing policymakers of squandering an opportunity to establish a truly effective climate protection tool. The current plan, designed to incrementally increase the quota to 59% by 2040, has drawn condemnation for its perceived weakening of environmental safeguards and its prioritization of potentially misleading “solutions.
Central to the DUH’s concerns is the proposed gradual phasing out of agricultural biofuels, including a significant reduction in soy-based diesel. While a delayed exclusion of palm oil residues – characterized by the DUH as “vulnerable to fraud” – is included, the organization argues it’s a concession too late and insufficient. Furthermore, the deliberate exclusion of aviation and shipping sectors from the regulation is being decried as a political maneuver that effectively “creates a quota for illusory solutions like hydrogen and e-fuels within road transport.
The ethical and environmental implications of relying on agricultural biofuels are also strongly condemned. Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of DUH, highlighted the unsustainable sourcing of soy for German diesel, stating that 90% originates from South America and contributes to deforestation of rainforests and severe human rights abuses. He insists that all agricultural biofuels inherently involve intensive land and resource consumption and “should not receive any form of support.
The proposal’s increasing reliance on waste and residue-derived fuels is also viewed with suspicion, raising concerns about potential conflicts over resource utilization and opportunities for fraudulent practices. Jürgen Resch, also a Federal Managing Director of DUH, voiced particular alarm regarding the promoting of hydrogen in road transport, labelling it “a sheer waste and energy policy absurdity”. He strongly criticized the development and subsidization of “low-carbon” hydrogen, which may incorporate fossil gas and coal, rendering it ineligible for EU climate targets. The proposal’s incentivization of hydrogen usage within refineries is also denounced as an artificial maneuver designed to prolong outdated fossil fuel business models.
Critically, the shift in focus away from electric mobility is being characterized as a strategic misstep. DUH argues that the proposed reforms undermine the THG quota’s potential to function as a budget-neutral incentive program for electric vehicle adoption. They are calling on the Bundestag to reject the cabinet draft and rectify these perceived detrimental incentives, advocating for a more robust and ethically sound approach to achieving Germany’s climate goals.
