Green Germany On The Rise
Red, yellow, green. If you think that I’m plainly referring to colors of the traffic lights.Sorry, but you’re wrong. For this year in Germany, these colors serve as “tickets” for drivers who want a hassle-free travel.
According to aboutmyplanet.com, the government in Germany has implemented a law requiring all motorists to display their vehicle’s environmental badge (that comes in red, green or yellow) that represents its emission levels especially if they will be passing “green zones” such as Berlin, Cologne and Hanover. To add, all vehicles are entailed to have catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters (DPF), devices designed to reduce harmful emissions from the exhaust of the engine by 85 to 100 percent, or else they will be banned from these areas. Failure to comply with these laws means a 40 Euro fine applicable even to tourists having European road trips. In March, the green zones will extend up to 17 German cities.
In an article published by autobloggreen.com, an estimated 80 percent of the main city’s 1.2 million vehicles now have the label. The badge is divided into four categories depending upon its emission standards. Those categorized as Euro 1 are inhibited from getting a badge while those which passed the Euro 2 standard will get a red badge. Euro 3 signifies a yellow badge while a green badge goes for Euro 4. By 2010, it is envisioned that only vehicles with yellow and green badges are allowed to drive in Germany’s green zones.
Government authorities in Germany implemented this law to reduce pollution caused by car emissions that is claimed to be the reason why about 310,000 people, 20 percent of which are German, fall ill.
Between 1990 and 2004, Wikipedia reported that Germany attained a 17.2 percent decrease of greenhouse gases emissions, as part of its commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, a protocol to the International Framework Convention on Climate Change that aims to reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
An environmental leader, Germany was such a bright example for other European starters in the fight against climate change.
