German politicians have voted to ban combustion-engine cars by 2030 in an effort to meet emissions targets outlined in the Paris agreement.
The Bundesrat, the federal council of all 16 German states, has passed a resolution to only permit zero-emission vehicles on EU roads.
The EU will need to adopt the resolution for it to come into effect in 14 years, but Forbes reports that German regulation traditionally shapes European law.
Green party lawmaker Oliver Krischer told Der Spiegel: “If the Paris agreement to curb climate-warming emissions is to be taken seriously, no new combustion engine cars should be allowed on roads after 2030.”
The weekly magazine reports that the resolution calls on the EU Commission to “review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility.”
The German car industry, which invented the internal combustion engine, is the fourth largest in the world and is one of the biggest contributors to the German economy.
Reuters reports that a switch to sales of zero-emission cars would put thousands of jobs at risk as electric car manufacturing requires a tenth of the staff needed to build combustion-engine cars.
In June, Norwegian politicians paved the way for an electric-only future by voting to ban all petrol and diesel powered cars by 2025.