Climate protection
Targets and management approach
By 2050, we intend our transport to be climate-neutral and therefore to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to zero. For this, we plan to operate our rail transport in Germany step-by-step with 100% eco-power by 2038. An important milestone in this process is our 2030 climate target, with which we have undertaken to halve our specific greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This covers all major greenhouse gas emissions from our transport and infrastructure business units. In order to achieve this objective, we are raising the share of renewable energies in the DB traction current mix in Germany to 80% by 2030. Since January 2018, DB Long- Distance transport has been running completely on all electrified lines in Germany with ECO-Power No. 1 and is therefore climate-neutral.
With the Climate Protection Plan 2050, the Federal Government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions in the transport sector up to 42% by 2030 compared with 1990, as a first step. With the shift in the mode of transport towards green rail, up to 10.5 million tons CO₂ emissions can be saved per year. In contrast to passenger cars and aircraft, a DB long-distance train with 100% eco-power emits virtually no greenhouse gas. In freight transport, DB rail freight transport generates only one-fifth of the greenhouse gas emissions from trucks.
In our stationary facilities, for example our ECO-Power Stations No. 147, we have also started to switch the power supply to renewable energy sources. We are continuously expanding the share of energy-efficient production equipment, for example in the course of renewing our vehicle fleet. With new, attractive rail transport services, we are creating incentives to bring more transport to the rails. Examples of this are the Berlin — Munich high-speed rail line or about 9,000 quiet, digitalized freight cars that permit real-time freight tracking. The shifting of transport to rail not only affects the emissions of our own logistics operations, but is also an important component in achieving Germanyʼs national climate targets in the transport sector.
We monitor the progress of these measures with energy efficiency and specific emissions targets within our business units, whose progress we measure regularly. Our indicators for climate protection are specific greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2006 and the share of renewable energies in the DB traction current mix in Germany.
