Öko-Institut e.V.: Less emissions, more quality of life

Editorial

Pathways out of transport breakdown

The introduction by Anke Herold, CEO of the Oeko-Institut

Every day, anyone who lives in a city or conurbation can see that in many places our transport system is on the brink of collapse. That is the case in my home city, Berlin. Every morning I cycle past kilometre-long lines of vehicles crawling bumper to bumper through the city. The number of hours that many people in Munich, Berlin or Hamburg spend sitting in traffic jams is rising year on year. This is a catastrophe not just for the climate but also for people’s health, safety and quality of life. There is no alternative to a shift in modes of transport. We need to be less reliant on the car and switch to more environmentally friendly forms of transport such as cycling – including e-bikes – and of course public transport. This involves imposing restrictions on cars – particularly restrictions on parking. Some progressive cities are demonstrating different ways of doing things.…

Pathways out of transport breakdown

In Focus

In a jam

How can the transport transition succeed?

To find out how the German transport transition is going, one needs only to enter the words for “climate protection” and “transport sector” in a search engine. This quickly turns up references to the “transport problem”, to calls for “a significant reorientation of policy” and to the need for “radical change”. This is because the transport sector has as yet contributed nothing to action on climate change. Its emissions in 2018, at around 163 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, were… more

In a jam

Sustainability on the move

New mobility concepts as a contribution to the transport transition

Germany needs a modal shift in transport – with less use of private cars and a greater emphasis on public transport, walking and cycling. Without such a shift – in which carsharing can also play an important part – urban transport will not be sustainable. It cannot be achieved by one single measure: many different instruments are needed (see also “In a jam” on page 8). More sustainable transport behaviour must be both required and encouraged, and it must be incentivised by a… more

Sustainability on the move

“Cross-sector collaboration is important and valuable.”

Interview with Sabine Nallinger (Stiftung 2°)

A single measure is not enough. A single actor is not enough. If the transport transition is to succeed, everyone must act – not just scientists and businesspeople but also private individuals and policy-makers. Sabine Nallinger is Managing Director of Foundation 2° – German Businesses for Climate Protection. In conversation with eco@work she explains where businesses see the greatest need for action, outlines specific steps that businesses can take to improve sustainability and… more

“Cross-sector collaboration is important and valuable.”