- German targets to reduce carbon emissions by 65% by 2030 are probably going to be missed, and a longer-term goal of reaching net zero by 2045 is also uncertain, according to studies from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and government climate consultants. In the fight against climate change, the European Union has aimed to lead the way, and Germany has set higher goals for itself than the rest of the union. Germany’s CO2 emissions were already 40% lower in 2018 than they were in 1990, but the latest assessments said that was insufficient.
- The German government has issued 130 directives across many industries; however, the transportation and building sectors have not followed through on them. By 2030, the transportation sector is predicted to have excess emissions of between 117 million and 191 million tonnes in comparison with the government aim, while the buildings sector is likely to fall 35 million tonnes shy of the target.
- Based on projected and current government climate policies, two scenarios from the UBA concluded that Germany cannot achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
- The ministry of economics said that since the present government entered power in late 2021, the measures it has put in place would have reduced excess CO2 emissions by almost 80%, which it claimed were the result of prior administration policies. The government coalition decided in June to weaken a measure that would have phased out oil and gas heating systems starting in 2024, which would have caused the building industry to fall short of its goals.
- According to the UBA analysis, two thirds of the emissions that still need to be reduced come from the transportation sector. The council argued that the transport ministry’s estimates of the success of planned and existing policies, such a higher percentage of working from home, a CO2 levy on vehicle tolls, and a cheap national rail ticket, were overly optimistic.
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), a nonprofit organization, responded to the studies by stating that an urgent climate program was required, particularly for the transportation industry. Enforcing speed limits on German roads and reducing environmentally harmful government subsidies—like tax breaks for business cars—would need judicial action.
Source:
Reuters