Berlin is suffocating: Air quality and political failures
Air pollution in Berlin has reached an alarming level. The air quality index (LQI) ranked dangerously high on 6 December 2023. A sad reality that shows us the catastrophic effects of our political decisions. This city, which once wanted to shine with the construction of cycle lanes, many green spaces and pedestrian zones, has taken a different path and is increasingly suffocating in car smog.
When the political turnaround was initiated in the capital last year, it quickly became clear that the car drivers had won. Planned cycle lanes were cancelled if even a single parking space was to be removed because of them. And the once car-free Friedrichstrasse has been open to motorists again since the summer.
But residents in the capital are now having to pay dearly for this. The air quality was alarmingly high at the beginning of December. The main culprit: Particulate matter, caused primarily by road traffic, especially combustion engines. And yet current policy still seems to be clearly in favour of cars.
The political decision-makers in Berlin seem to be more concerned with the interests of the car lobby than with the health of their citizens. Instead of investing in sustainable mobility solutions, the infrastructure for car traffic is being expanded. The extension of the A100 motorway is soon to be opened to traffic and will take visitors and locals right into the heart of the city's black lung. Instead of promoting local public transport, car parks are being built. Instead of supporting cycling, motorways are being widened. It is a policy of short-sighted priorities that has brought us to this unfortunate situation.
The air in Berlin is so bad that it not only jeopardises the health of Berliners, but also that of visitors. Tourists who come to the German capital to enjoy its culture, history and joie de vivre are instead confronted with air quality that resembles an industrial zone.
The effects of this policy are not just limited to health. Poor air quality also damages the city's economy. Who wants to invest in a city where the health of employees is at stake? Who wants to live in a city where breathing becomes a hazard?
It is high time for politicians in Berlin to rethink their priorities. It is not too late to free the city from its dependence on car traffic and invest in sustainable mobility solutions. It is not too late to prioritise the health of Berlin's citizens.
But to do so, political decision-makers must have the courage to act against the interests of the car lobby. They must have the courage to introduce the necessary changes, even if they are unpopular. And indeed they are. Last year's vote in the "Berlin 2030 Climate Neutral" referendum clearly showed the priorities of the citizens. They decided against a greener, climate-neutral, clean city.
But politicians must take countermeasures here. It should not become a ban policy that wants to take cars away from people. It should create real alternatives so that people are happy to leave their cars behind because they don't want to be stuck in traffic jams, but want to get to their destination quickly and comfortably using a solid local transport network. They should be persuaded to rethink their behaviour with traffic-calmed zones in which they experience the benefits of a calmed city on a daily basis. They should not feel restricted, but liberated from a life with tin and exhaust fumes on every corner and thick, smoky air that they don't want to breathe. Politicians do not understand this task.
The air in Berlin is a silent but deadly catastrophe. And it is a clear sign that the current policy in the capital has failed. It is time for a change. It's time to make the air in Berlin breathable again.