German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing forward with her plans to reduce diesel pollution in the country despite a national election being just two weeks away.
The New York Times reports that Merkel has been accused of being “too cozy” with the country’s automotive industry but earlier this week, she spoke with the mayors of 30 major German cities and pledged to double the amount of money earmarked to fight air pollution.
Ever since VW’s dieselgate scandals, many European countries have fallen out of love with diesels but many people in Germany, including government members and industry executives believe the fuel is an important bridge technology before all-electric vehicles dominate the market.
Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW have all agreed to upgrade the software of millions of diesel vehicles in an attempt to tackle air pollution but according to the environmentalist Green Party, they, nor Merkel’s pledges, will be enough.
According to Green Party leader Katrina Göring-Eckardt, “What has been decided here are investments for the municipalities. They are short term and will not prevent any further bans.”
With this in mind, many major German cities are taking things into their own hands. In Stuttgart for example, legislation to prohibit diesel vehicles on its streets is being processed through the courts and others, including Munich, are considering similar diesel bans.
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