As of: March 15, 2024, 6:13 p.m
By: Philipp Bräuner
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A report from the Federal Environment Agency shows: Germany is well on its way to achieving the 2030 climate target.
Habeck sees this as confirmation of the government's policy.
Berlin - It seemed unlikely for a long time, but a current report lets you breathe a sigh of relief: Germany is well on the way to meeting the climate target for 2030.
This emerges from a publication by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).
In 2023, 673 million tons of greenhouse gases were emitted in Germany, a decrease of 10.1 percent compared to the previous year.
This represents the largest drop in CO₂ emissions since 1990.
Habeck sees new figures on the achievement of the 2030 climate target as a government success
After the temporary decline in CO₂ emissions during the corona pandemic, the values rose again after the lockdowns.
In particular, the cessation of Russian gas deliveries after the attack on Ukraine led many to see the climate goals as further threatened.
“With the outbreak of the war against Ukraine, many were concerned that we would see a renaissance of coal and other fossil fuels,” said Dirk Messner, President of the UBA, in a statement from the office.
“We know today that that didn’t happen.”
Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck presenting the report from the Federal Environment Agency, according to which Germany could achieve the 2030 climate target.
© Carsten Koall/dpa
Messner attributes this positive development mainly to the expansion of renewable energies.
According to the Federal Network Agency, their share was 56 percent in 2023.
Onshore wind turbines contributed the largest share.
By 2030, at least 80 percent of electricity consumption should be covered by green energy sources.
Minister Habeck on the forecast for climate targets for 2030: “We have to stay the course”
Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck saw the positive forecast as confirming the federal government's policy.
“If we stay the course,” said Habeck at the press conference to present the report, “then we’ll be through.”
The most important message of the day is that the political measures put in place are bearing fruit.
“We have got Germany on track at this point, and we have to stay on course.”
As the report by the Federal Environment Agency shows, the use of fossil energies, especially natural gas and hard coal, has been reduced.
In addition to the increased share of renewable energies, this is also due to the decreased demand for energy, especially in industry.
This led to a decrease in emissions of approximately 13 million tons of CO₂ equivalents compared to 2022. The weak economy and increased production costs led to a decrease in production and thus to lower energy consumption.
Climate targets for 2030 are within reach thanks to reduced CO₂ emissions - Habeck sees success
Despite these positive developments, there is still a need for action in some sectors.
According to the UBA, there is still a lot to do, particularly in the transport sector.
In 2023, fewer emissions of 146 million tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) were recorded here than in the previous year.
However, this is still 13 million tonnes more than permitted by the Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG).
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The building sector has also exceeded its emissions limits, although less significantly.
There, 1.2 million tonnes more GHG than permitted were released into the atmosphere.
According to UBA, this is mainly due to the mild winter and high energy prices, both of which led to more restrained consumption.
The addition of heat pumps also contributed to this.
Less CO₂ emissions by 2030: According to Habeck, the climate target can be achieved thanks to government action
Despite the challenges in these areas, Messner is confident that the climate target of 65 percent fewer CO₂ emissions compared to 1990 will be achieved.
“At the beginning of the legislative period, we were still assuming 1,100 million tons of GHG too much for 2030.” This forecast could be revised based on the data from 2023, provided that the commitment to renewable energies remains high.
The Federal Climate Protection Act, which was amended in 2022, aims to achieve gradual CO₂ neutrality for Germany.
According to the 2030 target, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 88 percent by 2040.
Complete greenhouse gas neutrality is planned for 2045, which means that no more CO₂ may be emitted than is removed elsewhere.
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Our employee Philipp Bräuner wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.