Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is critical of Environment Minister Steffi Lemke’s (Greens) initiative to restrict plant-based biofuel. Your initiative will lead to higher emissions of greenhouse gases in traffic, Wissing told the German Press Agency on Friday. The minister emphasized that this was not compatible with the climate goals of the federal government and was not coordinated within the federal government.
Environment Minister Lemke had previously announced that she wanted to limit the use of biofuels from cultivated plants by changing the law. She will “promptly make a proposal for a change in the law and coordinate it with the other ministries,” Lemke told the dpa on Friday.
Biofuel, which is now so controversial, is obtained from oil from rapeseed, soya, oil palm and other oil plants and mixed with other fuels. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport. However, in view of the Ukraine conflict, the two Green Ministers, Lemke, and Agriculture Minister, Cem Özdemir, advocate curbing the high consumption of agricultural land for the cultivation of plants for biofuel. They argue that this is irresponsible because of the food shortage and urgently needed space.
Wissing made it clear that Lemke would have to make a concrete CO2 savings proposal if she wanted to limit the use of biofuel. This must also be able to win a majority in the federal government. According to Wissing, it is also a contradiction to set aside agricultural land on the one hand and to complain about food shortages on the other.
In connection with Lemke’s plans, the environmental policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Judith Skudelny, suggested moving forward with the approval of synthetic fuels. This could ensure that “vehicles with hybrid and combustion engines that can be driven completely climate-neutral after 2035 are already approved today”.
According to dpa information, the topic of biofuel should be part of the resolutions that the federal and state environment ministers want to announce this Friday at their conference in Wilhelmshaven.
