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CLIMATE CRISIS

Climate activists disrupt flights at Frankfurt airport

Police on Thursday arrested climate activists who glued themselves to the tarmac at Frankfurt airport, Germany's busiest, compelling it to cancel around 170 flights and causing hours of delays for passengers.

Published: 25 July 2024 08:45 CEST
Police cars are seen on the runway of Frankfurt airport after climate activists breach the area.
Police cars are seen on the runway of Frankfurt airport after climate activists breach the area. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/TNN | Mike Seeboth

Traffic was halted during the busy summer holiday season for two hours before the first of the airport’s landing runways was able to operate again at 0502 GMT, said a spokesman at the airport.

Passengers were advised to check the status of their flights while the airport ramped up its operations again.

Seven of the activists had managed to reach the runway where they glued themselves onto the tarmac, a police spokesman said. The eighth was still trying to get through the perimeter fence when he was detained.

The police operation to clear activists off the airport’s restricted grounds was ongoing, added the spokesman. All eight were arrested.

READ ALSO: Europe warned it must do more to deal with climate crisis

According to climate activist group “Letzte Generation” (Last Generation) which claimed the civil disobedience action, its members had used pincers to cut openings in the wire fence before making their way “by foot, with bicycles and skateboards to different points around the runways”.

A photo circulated by the group depicted a protester sitting on the tarmac with an orange banner “oil kills”.

The group is pushing for a binding international accord that would lead to an end in oil, gas and coal use by 2030.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing condemned the protests Thursday as “criminal” action and demanded tough penalties against the activists.

“The climate activists are apparently seeking to bring about maximum damage. The legislators must react with maximum severity,” he told German media, calling for prison terms of up to five years in jail for those who storm airports.

“Anyone who violently forces their way into airports, occupies runways and blocks airplanes is endangering human lives,” he said.

Concerted action

Thursday’s protest action came a day after similar operations across several European airports.

Activists from Letzte Generation disrupted traffic at Cologne-Bonn airport for several hours on Wednesday by glueing themselves on the tarmac.

Several climate protesters were also arrested at London’s Heathrow airport.

The protest organisers are part of the A22 Network of groups committed to non-violent climate protests, which said it was planning to disrupt airports in several countries in the coming months.

Last Generation activists

Security staff direct people away from the runway next to a cut wire fence where activists went onto the runway. Photo: Daniel Roland / AFP

Protests were planned in Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, United States and Norway, UK-based activists from the alliance told AFP earlier in July.

Global aviation is responsible for around 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions, more than the annual carbon footprint of Brazil and France combined.

Last Generation is known for mounting eye-catching protests – from throwing mashed potatoes at paintings in museums to glueing themselves on busy roads.

Their tactics, which have proved deeply divisive, have led to some of their members being convicted.

READ ALSO: Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?

“Instead of seeking tougher sentences, politicians should seriously take the scale of the disaster that they are themselves fuelling,” said Lisa Johnson, spokeswoman of the group.

“Prison sentences won’t shield us from heatwaves, droughts, floods and dramatically rising sea levels,” she warned.

Letzte Generation has said it would hold protests from September 25th against planned government subsidies for Kassel-Calden airport.

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ENVIRONMENT

Germany must do more to improve air quality, court rules

A German environmental group has won a lawsuit against the government for not adequately addressing air pollution. Demands for more immediate measures to reduce pollution could reignite the debate on motorway speed limits.

Published: 24 July 2024 11:49 CEST
Germany must do more to improve air quality, court rules

The Higher Administrative Court in Berlin-Brandenburg ruled that the traffic coalition government has not made adequate efforts to address air pollution in Germany.

Specifically, the court found that Germany’s “National Air Pollution Control Program” was not sufficient to meet emissions reduction targets that have been set by the EU.

The case was brought by the non-profit Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which focuses on enforcing environmental protections in Germany.

“This is a really good day for clean air in Germany,” DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch said after the ruling. “For the first time, the federal government has been sentenced to adopt and implement really effective additional measures for the reduction of air pollutants.”

In mid-May DUH had won another case against failed policies when the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) ruled that the federal government needs to tighten up its climate protection program.

READ ALSO: Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?

The decision is not yet legally binding as the government could appeal at the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig.

What is the case about?

The case refers to a programme adopted by the German government in 2019, and then updated in May 2024, which included measures for reducing emissions from air pollutants. 

In addition to reducing air pollution, the programme is meant to keep Germany compliant with EU law.

In an effort to reduce human health risks, the EU Parliament has set rules requiring member states to take action toward reducing air pollutant emissions to certain levels by 2030.

The air pollutants in focus include ammonia, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. 

DUH suggests that Germany’s program is inadequate. In particular, the most recent data on emissions had not been accounted for.

Also, measures originally included have since been cancelled or weakened.

What new measures could we see?

Despite the likelihood of appeal, DUH Director Resch hopes to start talks with the transport, construction and environmental ministries about measures to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.

One measure that could help immediately would be setting a speed limit on the Autobahn. 

Environmental organisations have called for Autobahn speed limits for years. But despite public opinion polls that have shown that the majority of Germans would approve of the measure, the topic remains politically divisive. 

Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the liberal Free Democrat Party, for example, has previously called general speed limits “unnecessary”.

After the ruling was announced, the Ministry of the Environment put out a statement acknowledging the decision and pledging to examine the ruling “comprehensively” as soon as it was available in writing.

How severe is air pollution in Germany?

Compared to other parts of the world, and even to other countries in Europe, Germany enjoys decent air quality – and it’s gotten better since 1990.

But air pollutants still pose a great danger to health and lead to a number of premature deaths and diseases such as asthma or cardiovascular diseases. 

READ ALSO: ‘Prepare for 3C rise’ – Europe warned it must do more to deal with climate crisis

According to the DUH, around 28,000 people die prematurely in Germany every year due to nitrogen dioxide and 68,000 people due to particulate matter. 

Particulate matter is produced, for example, by emissions from motor vehicles and coal-fired power plants.

Recent developments that are expected to affect air pollution levels in Germany include: an amendment to the Building Energy Act which allows wood pellet heating systems, the end of state subsidies for electric vehicles, and a delay in the phase out of coal-fired power plants.

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