The fight for Clean Air in Germany Why we need to strengthen the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The fight for Clean Air in Germany

Why we need to strengthen the civil society

15.5.2019 | Green Week| Barbara Metz, Deutsche Umwelthilfe

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 2

Dieselgate and its consequences

What really happened… What we were promised…

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 3

Diesel engines are the main source of nitrogen dioxide in our cities

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Health problems related to nitogen dioxide

• 13,100 premature deaths in

Germany every year (European Environment Agency, October 2018)

• 800,000 respiratory,

cardiovascular and diabetes cases due to nitrogen oxides every year (Federal Environment Agency, March 2018)

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 5

The special role of the German car industry

• Germany's world-leading automotive industry, that

generates 404 billion euros in annual revenues - roughly 20 percent of Germany's total industrial revenue - and provides nearly 800,000 jobs in Germany alone, has a considerable influence in German politics

• Unlike in the US, manufacturers in Germany have still

not been held responsible for their actions or asked to pay fines

• On the contrary: They continue to make record

profits in Germany and the Federal Government not

• nly accepts all the excuses made, but also lobbies

for their interests and needs

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 6

Our fight for Clean Air

• Due to persistent air pollution, and German

authorities not taking action, despite being aware of the problem, DUH started supporting lawsuits by affected citizens

• The landmark decision of the European Court
• f Justice from 2008 confirmed the

enforceable “Right to clean air” for all EU citizens

• Finally in Federal Administrative Court

assigned this right of action to organisations

• On 27-2-2018, the Federal Administrative

Court confirmed that Diesel bans are a suitable measure to comply with the limit values ​as quickly as possible

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Today we have 35 lawsuits for clean air in Germany.

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What we have achieved so far

Although federal and state politicians refuse to implement the legally binding verdicts, we have significantly contributed to a shift in mobility in Germany:

• Our court cases have put massive pressure on politicians and enhanced a

strong public debate

• All the cities we are suing now have a Clean Air Plan, enhancing a shift in

mobility and transportation

• At the time being, Diesel bans are in force in Stuttgart and Hamburg,

more will follow later this year

• The German Government has provided

more than 1 billion euros to support the cities during transition

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How citizens support our work

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NGOs such as Deutsche Umwelthilfe reveal abuse of power and ensure that laws are also adhered to by industry and the State

• We ensure transparency and detect violations of law
• In case of doubt we check the facts and make our own measurements
• We carry out ecological market surveillance
• We fight for the rights of consumers and the environment

Role of the civil society for our democracy

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 11

Reactions of German industry and government to our work

• The attacks against us and our work have been

increasing with the exposure and the success of our work

• BASF, Daimler and VW have openly attempted to impede
• ur work and by issuing damage claims in the millions
• Politicians are increasingly pressured to change laws

restricting the rights of civil society groups in the interests of big corporations

• Just in December 2018, Angela Merkels governing party

CDU demanded the withdrawal of our non-profit status as well as our right of action before administrative courts

• In a functioning democracy, tax offices decide on non-

profit status and courts on the rights of action. However, it is an alarming political signal to even make the demand!

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 12

We need a strong civil society…

… Because the balance of power between corporate lobbyists and critical civil society has been shifting to the detriment of civil society … Because civil society organizations are an important part of our democracy, especially when they are critical and inconvenient. NGOs are a necessary counterbalance to the increasingly strong corporations

Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. | Green Week | Barbara Metz| 15.5.2019 | Brussels 13

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Thank you very much for your attention!

Contact: metz@duh.de