Green shoots

نویسنده

  • Michael Gross
چکیده

By the end of this year, when Germany crowns the 'word of the year', one of the strongest contenders to replace last year's 'Finanzkrise' (financial crisis) has to be the almost unpronounceable 'Abwrackprämie' or scrappage fee. Introduced with effect from 27 January under the original name of 'Umweltprämie' (environment reward) with a strictly limited budget, this scheme pays out 2,500 Euros towards the purchase of a new car, provided the buyer sends an old banger of at least nine years of age to the scrapyard, where it will, of course, be taken apart, sorted by material, and recycled with German thoroughness. The Abwrackprämie soon became the main talking point around the country, and was embraced so enthusiastically that politicians hurried to extend it to the end of this year, to gain popularity ahead of September's federal elections. Scrap merchants are busier than ever, shaking their heads over cars handed in that might have fetched more than the 2,500 Euros if sold on, while the market for cheap used cars has vanished. Due to its unexpected popularity, the scrappage fee has also become a prototype of the 'New Deal' News focus measures trying to combine economic incentive with gentle steering towards green targets. Both its economic and its green credentials are highly controversial among experts. Economically, the benefit goes mainly to manufacturers of cheap cars, as people buying big expensive cars will not normally have an old banger to scrap. Thus, purchases of Volkswagen and Asian import cars like Hyundai have shot up, while the luxury car makers decry the scheme as misguided. The bias towards small cars is in fact the only green credential of the scheme, too. There is no specification that links it to energy efficiency or emissions. BMW boss Norbert Reithofer moaned that " a CO 2-based fee would be better ". While the UK government presents a budget hoped to tackle economic as well as environmental challenges, other countries have taken the lead in harnessing the economic interventions for ecological gains. Michael Gross reports. Pushing ahead: The South Korean government in Seoul has launched the world's most ambitious package of attempted investment in environmentally friendly technologies.

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عنوان ژورنال:
  • Current Biology

دوره 19  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2009