Safeguarding the integrity of creation and the environment is the overriding priority for the coming legislative period. Rezo is right to say that action in this area has not been and is not consistent enough and we are lagging far behind leading countries in respect of environmental protection.
Construction of internal combustion engines must be banned from 2025, as in Norway, to switch to an area-wide infrastructure of electric vehicles within 10 years. Speed limits of 100 km/h in densely populated areas and 120 km/h for all other areas (see the Netherlands) will immediately apply to all internal combustion engines on German motorways. This does not apply to battery electric vehicles.
Every German household will receive a subsidy for the introduction of solar panels to decouple households from the public energy supply, as electric vehicles need high-voltage connections for charging at night and the subsequent installation of new cables throughout the country will not be possible within the short period of time. Energy self-supply will become mandatory for new buildings. Alternatively, the Nano Box can be used in the event of lacking space for solar panels.
It is also the most ecological option if vehicles are charged via solar power. The hardware to be used for this may not be more expensive than the fuel that would have been used by vehicles in 5 years.
European manufacturers of effective solar systems alone are eligible for support. Europe should keep the competence for the development and implementation of solar technologies in its own hands, and not have to continue importing from Asia.
All fast-charging stations for passenger cars are to procure electricity exclusively from renewable energies by 2025.
Over-fertilisation and pollution in Germany will be punished from the next legislative period. The excessive nitrate content in drinking water endangers public health. The polluter-pays principle applies.
Fallow arable land is to be afforested with mixed forests.
The phasing out of lignite will be completed as early as 2025. The North Rhine-Westphalian state government is called upon to present a concept for the development of a major airport in North Rhine-Westphalia for the Garzweiler location by the end of 2020, with a simultaneous closure concept for Düsseldorf and Cologne airports. At the same time, it must be made clear how the lignite industry will participate in the renaturation of the areas.
Air traffic is to be converted to alternative propulsion concepts (electric aircraft/hydrogen). For this purpose, a network of autonomously flying electric taxis (Lilium Aviation) is to be created, which can cover flight routes of up to 2 hours and up to 500 km. These should relieve the burden on railways, motorways and scheduled traffic. The German government will provide the legal framework for this by 2022 in concert with EASA and the European partners. This aims to reduce aircraft movements in air traffic at airports and have emission-free and noise-reduced electric taxis fly centrally to destinations in cities. The federal government will support development of the necessary infrastructure.
If only 20 per cent of traffic in densely populated areas is transferred to the air and the roads are electric and networked between vehicles, then congestion should finally be reduced without further expansion of the road infrastructure and concreting over areas.
The infrastructure plan provides for the modernisation and renovation of the German national road network. This includes, above all, bridges along the Rhine.
Furthermore, no new lorries with combustion engines may be built from 2035. The industry is called upon to convert buses and lorries to electric drive systems as quickly as possible, and provide the necessary charging infrastructure.