Dear Readers,

In 2022, the mobility sector in Germany emitted greenhouse gases totalling around 148 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents. That equates to about 20 per cent of the country's overall emissions. Emissions were thus around 1.1 million tonnes higher than the previous year – in other words, the sectoral obligations under the German Climate Protection Act were not met, once again. This development makes it clear that it is not possible to "just carry on in the same vein" if the national climate protection targets are to be achieved.

The goals of the urban mobility transition are outlined clearly: gaining more space for urban living, reducing noise and climate-damaging emissions and improving air quality. Regardless of whether you walk, cycle or use public transport, the same question always arises: How can sustainable modes of transport be made more attractive? Dr.-Ing. Alina Wetzchewald, Researcher in the Mobility and Transport Policy Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute, is sure of the answer: It is only possible through an appropriate combination of innovation and exnovation – that is, ending unsustainable practices, technologies, or usage types in the field of automobility. This is the topic she deals with in the current issue of the ‘Zukunftsimpuls' (Future Impulse) titled "Less is More", giving examples of German and European projects that have been implemented to date, identifying obstacles and opportunities that have arisen and extrapolating relevant strategies and recommendations for action.

Instead of the aforementioned issues, what is needed is support, legal security and a holistic, exnovative approach – accompanied by positive communication that emphasises added value, so that pilot projects are successful and can lead to sustainable changes in behaviour. Politicians and city and district authorities, as stakeholders central to the process, are also asked to get involved in actively designing the transition and implementing it at the local level. 

Exnovation should accompany future innovations, be put on policy makers' agendas and needs to be translated into the right incentive parameters. Whether and when this will succeed remains to be seen.