Lower Saxony calls on the EU for more climate protection in the automotive industry!

Lower Saxony calls on the EU for more climate protection in the automotive industry!

Lower Saxony plays an active role in climate policy. Together with ten other federal states, the Lower Saxony state government under Prime Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) sent a clear open letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU). In it, the politicians demand that the CO2 fleet limits for car production should take into account not only the exhaust gases, but also the entire CO2 emissions of a vehicle. This aim is intended to create incentives for more climate-friendly production methods, as the focus is currently only on exhaust gases.

According to NDR, Lies argues that the inclusion of climate-friendly steel in the fleet limits could improve the order situation in steel production. Politicians definitely see potential here, especially for the steel and automotive industries in Lower Saxony. However, the environmental protection organization Greenpeace has criticized the move and viewed it as an attack on existing CO2 limits for cars.

Raw material transition in the steel industry

The steel industry accounts for around 6% of total CO2 emissions in Germany – no small number! Most steel is still produced in the traditional way via blast furnaces, where iron ore is smelted with coal and coke at extreme temperatures. This method results in up to 1.7 tons of CO2 being produced per ton of steel. But there is hope: With direct reduction, an alternative method that uses hydrogen, emissions could be reduced by up to 97.8%.

Direct reduction enables CO2-neutral steel production when combined with renewable energies. To do this, however, we need a comprehensive change in infrastructure and a stable economic and political framework. Emcel emphasizes that this process change is urgently needed in order to reduce emissions in the long term and shows examples such as Salzgitter AG's SALCOS® transformation project.

The role of politics and funding

The policy-driven approaches for a lower-emission future also take place behind the scenes. Lower Saxony plans to support the EU in its efforts to relax the planned phase-out of combustion engines, especially for vehicles with alternative drives. This could put additional pressure on automakers to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility. Lies emphasizes the importance of e-mobility and rail transport for the future of the state.

In addition, the CDU and SPD in Berlin are offering new funding for electric cars in order to further stimulate the industry. Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Christian Meyer (Greens) supports the crediting of “green steel” in the automotive sector, but sees this as just one of many necessary instruments. He calls for zero-emission vehicles by 2035 and is aware that existing infrastructure and affordable energy are the key to a successful transformation.

It remains exciting to see how Lower Saxony and the other federal states will exert their influence in the EU in order to achieve both the climate goals and to make the economic processes in the steel and automotive industries future-proof. A big step in the right direction could happen in the coming years. The shift to climate-friendly technologies in the steel industry is just the beginning. Perhaps the steel industry will even become a pioneer in the implementation of sustainable production methods in Germany.