German Krankheit: Climate Change - Politicians Preach Water and Drink Wine

A German Green party leader has come under sharp attack by the car industry after calling on the public to buy more eco-friendly Japanese cars and to boycott "climate killing" German high-performance vehicles.
 
At the same time, the German eco group (DUH) Tuesday accused government ministers in Berlin of setting a bad example by driving vehicles such as the Audi A8 quattro, VW Phaeton and Mercedes S-Class with an average emission of 240 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
 
The European Commission last week proposed a target of 130 grams per kilometre by the year 2012 for all new vehicles.
 
"Politicians should set a good example and not demand from others what they are not prepared to do themselves," the DUH said in a press statement.