Germany’s climate advisory body has called for new policy measures to slash greenhouse gas emissions, warning that the country looks set to miss its 2030 climate change targets.
In a report published on Monday, the Council of Experts on Climate Change said Germany was unlikely to reach its goal of cutting 65% of emissions by the end of the decade compared to 1990 levels.
The panel, which is appointed by the government and has independent authority to assess the country’s climate performance, said sectors such as transport and construction in particular were struggling to decarbonize.
The findings contradict statements from German Climate Protection Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who said in March that projections from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) showed emissions were falling and Germany would meet its goal.
The Council of Experts on Climate Change said the UBA’s estimates were overly optimistic and that emissions from the energy, building and transport sectors had been underestimated.
What happens now?
Under the Climate Protection Act, the government will have to take further measures to meet its 2030 target if the council of experts confirms its findings in its next annual report in 2025. But the council’s chairman advised acting sooner rather than later.
“Against this background, we recommend not waiting for the target to be missed again, but rather examining the timely implementation of additional measures,” Chairman Hans-Martin Henning said in a statement.
The council also warned Germany could miss targets further down the road, including its goal to cut emissions by 88% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels and reach climate neutrality by 2045.
Reducing emissions by moving away from burning fossil fuels is seen as crucial to tackling the threat of global warming.
The release of the experts’ report on Monday comes as government negotiators meet in the German city of Bonn to lay the groundwork for the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the end of the year. The talks are expected to focus on the contentious issue of how countries should pay for the rising costs of climate change.
nm/sms (Reuters, dpa)
