German environmental groups urge ban on short-haul flights
SEVERAL German environmental groups have urged an immediate end to all short-haul flights nationwide, up to a distance of 600 kilometres that could otherwise be reached by train.
The ban would save more than 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and provide greater protection for the climate, the groups said in a call published on Wednesday and addressed to the country’s next government.
“Half of all domestic German flights can already be replaced by a train journey of a maximum of four hours, thus saving 1.6 million tonnes of CO2 annually,” said Werner Reh of the German environmentalist group UND.
Other groups who contributed to the paper include Robin Wood, another environmental organization, the Federal Association against Aircraft Noise ( VF) and regional groups.
It is “completely incomprehensible why ultra-short-haul flights are still allowed at all, given the climate crisis,” said Reh.
Flights of up to 600 kilometres should be abolished if people can reach their destination in a fourhour journey on a high-speed train instead, they said.
The groups said in a further step, efforts should be made to render short-haul flights up to 1,500 kilometres superfluous.
Domestic air travel in Germany generates some 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually but this does not include flights that take off or land in Germany from abroad.
Scientists say air traffic is three times more damaging than the effect of CO2 emissions alone, however, due to additional effects and emissions such as nitrogen oxides, which can also contribute to global warming.
The groups demanded a major shift away from air traffic in favour of rail transport and an end to state subsidies for airports.
The incoming government must set the course for more attractive and cheaper rail transport, they said.
The calls were opposed by the German Airports Association. There are limits to how far air traffic can be shifted to rail, the group’s boss Ralph eisel told dpa.
If such measures go ahead, the rail network and frequency of trains would have to be significantly increased, he said.
Even if this were the case, “domestic air transport would remain an important pillar in the German mobility system,” he said, noting day-long business trips were often only feasible by air.
Furthermore, a good third of passengers use domestic German flights to connect to international flights, eisel said.
“Unilateral restrictions would weaken Germany’s position as an aviation location in international competition - this would do nothing for the climate,” said eisel.
He said any ban on domestic German flights would increase emissions by generating “additional detours.”