Berliners vote down referendum on tighter climate goals

BERLIN: A referendum in Berlin on Sunday that would have bound the city to strive to be climate neutral by 2030 has failed, the city’s mayor Franziska Giffey said in a statement.

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The measure would have forced the new conservative local government to invest heavily in renewable energy, building efficiency and public transport. Had it passed, Berlin would have been one of the few major European cities with a legally binding goal to become carbon neutral in seven years.