In response to the announcement by the UK government that the sale of new diesel- and petrol/gas-powered cars will be banned by 2040, a spokesperson for the German government was quoted as saying that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned many times against “demonizing” diesel cars.
Apparently, the German government has taken the new announcement by the UK government as a threat of some kind? Statements from the German government spokesperson noted that Germany would not be following the example set by the UK.
“The chancellor has often warned against demonizing diesel motors — diesel motors emit less CO2 and are therefore more environmentally-friendly but of course we need to work honestly and of course we continue to look for other solutions,” the German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer was quoted as saying.
Hmm, if only they could find some other solutions. Where to look? Where to look?
In all seriousness, though, any idea that diesel is good for the climate and shouldn’t be regarded as the health-destroying and climate-destroying fuel that it is seems to just be another delay tactic to benefit the pockets of old guys in high positions at large automakers or the investment firms backing them. Yet again, the German government seems more concerned about the short-term future of millionaires and billionaires than the future of humanity and the health of common citizens. Or they are just in some type of diesel denial.
Reuters provides more: “She added Merkel was, however, also promoting electric cars. A Transport Ministry spokesman said that in view of existing commitments to achieve a carbon neutral economy by 2050, focusing exclusively on a target date for phasing out combustion engines would be ‘unimaginative’.
“But others are in favor of Germany taking action more rapidly, with a member of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) saying the country should start phasing out petrol and diesel soon. ‘We need to start getting rid of combustion technology in the short-term,’ Oliver Wittke, a transport expert in Merkel’s CDU, told Deutschlandfunk radio. He said it was unacceptable to let Britain lead the way while Germany, the home of major carmakers such as Volkswagen, Daimler, and BMW, was lagging behind.”
As a reminder here, those firms are currently facing an investigation by European Union antitrust regulators, relating to allegations of a cartel.
As we reported a few days ago, the companies have apparently been holding secret meetings, for decades now, where illegal activity may have taken place (price fixing, diesel vehicle emissions testing fraud planning, etc.).
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