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VOLKSWAGEN

Volkswagen says it’s responsible for 2% of global CO2 emissions

The Volkswagen group alone is responsible for around 2 percent of global carbon emissions -- roughly the same amount as Germany -- one of the car manufacturer's senior figures said in an interview on Friday.

Volkswagen says it's responsible for 2% of global CO2 emissions
Photo: DPA

“We have calculated how much the group represents among global CO2 emissions,” said Michael Jost, Volkswagen's chief strategist told German business weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche. “It's almost one percent for cars and one percent for trucks.”

In comparison, Germany accounts for nearly 2.2 percent of C02 emissions, the equivalent of 800 million tonnes, and was ranked 6th globally, according to 2017 figures from the Global Carbon Project.
 
Last week, Herbert Diess, boss of the Volkswagen group, told employees the figure is 1 percent for the million cars the group has produced which are in circulation.
 
“This percentage, we want to reduce to zero by 2050,” he said at company headquarters in Wolfsburg.
 
The German car giant has been struggling to restore its reputation since the 2015 “Dieselgate” scandal, when it admitted to fitting 11 million vehicles worldwide with a device aimed at cheating pollution tests.
 
In the face of stringent limits for C02 emissions from 2020, Volkswagen has vowed to introduce 70 electric models by 2028.
 
The German auto industry is late in shifting towards electric cars. The Volkswagen group, which includes 12 brands, plans to sell 22 million electric cars in the next 10 years to escape heavy European fines and drastically reduce the carbon footprint of its factories.

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GREENPEACE

Two hospitalized in Munich after activist crashes parachute into Euro 2020 stadium

At least two people were hospitalised Tuesday after a Greenpeace activist crash-landed on the pitch before the Germany-France match at Euro 2020 when his powered parachute microlight struck spidercam cables at Munich's Allianz Arena.

Two hospitalized in Munich after activist crashes parachute into Euro 2020 stadium
The activist lands on the turf of the Allianz Arena. credit: dpa | Christian Charisius

The pilot flew over the pitch just before kick-off in the Group F clash with “Kick out oil” written on the canopy of his parachute.

However, when the pilot hit television cables above the pitch, it knocked his microlight off balance and he landed on the turf after clipping one of the stands, where the casualties happened.

The activist was arrested soon after landing.

A Munich police spokesman told AFP that at least two people suffered head injuries and “both had to be taken to hospital, we don’t know yet how serious the injuries are”.

The police spokesman said the activist appears to have escaped injury, but “we are considering various criminal charges. Munich police has zero understanding for political actions that put lives at risk”.

UEFA also slammed the botched stunt.

“This inconsiderate act – which could have had very serious consequences for a huge number of people attending – caused injuries to several people attending the game who are now in hospital and law authorities will take the necessary action,” European football’s governing body said in a statement.

The parachutist above the stadium. Photo: dpa | Matthias Balk

“The staging of the match was fortunately not impacted by such a reckless and dangerous action, but several people were injured nonetheless.”

The stunt was a protest against German car manufacturer Volkswagen, one of the sponsors of the European Championship, Greenpeace explained in a Twitter post.

“UEFA and its partners are fully committed to a sustainable Euro 2020 tournament and many initiatives have been implemented to offset carbon emissions,” said UEFA.

Greenpeace said they regretted any harm caused.

“This protest was never intended to disrupt the game or hurt people,” read a Twitter post on Greenpeace’s official German account.

“We hope that everyone is OK and that no one was seriously injured. Greenpeace actions are always peaceful and non-violent.”

“Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan.”

READ MORE: Climate activists rage as Germany opts for drawn-out coal exit

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