00:00A transportation revolution is underway in Europe, leaders banning cars in city centers
00:07in an effort to ease traffic and curb greenhouse emissions.
00:11Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, all drastically reducing the number of vehicles on the streets
00:16in exchange for bicycles and walking paths.
00:19The trend beginning in Spain's Pontevedra in 1999, when cars were banned in most of
00:24the city, a move that reduced air pollution by nearly 70%.
00:29Over 20 years later, and similar low-emission zones are on the rise, increasing by 40% in
00:34Europe since the start of the COVID pandemic.
00:37But some countries are having a hard time implementing such policies, while others are
00:41challenging the premise of the idea altogether.
00:44The dilemma is playing out in the German capital of Berlin, a city that was moving towards
00:48outright banning cars in the city center, but began to run into problems during the
00:52execution of the plan.
00:54The Christian Democrat Party controls Berlin for the first time in over two decades, largely
00:59due to its opposition to emission-free zones.
01:02It ran on a platform of walking back what it described as unfair mobility restrictions
01:06for citizens, and is quickly acting on its campaign promise.
01:12Vehicles are returning to areas once labeled as car-free, and bike path projects are being
01:16put on hold pending additional review.
01:19It's a blatant rebuke to newly implemented climate-friendly policies, with voters rejecting
01:24the architects in a February election, and conservative leaders giving the people the
01:28power to address the issue themselves.
01:30It's an approach gaining popularity across Europe, most recently being applied on a larger
01:34scale in the United Kingdom.
01:36The UK is scrapping a ban on gas cars, which was set to go into effect in 2030, but is
01:41now being pushed back to 2035.
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