Concrete measures missing in German national climate plan – report

Germany, Finland, France and Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) drafts include ambitious goals but “lack details and concrete measures” to ensure that these are met, according to an assessment by the project Life PlanUP under the NGO Carbon Market Watch. “Overall, it’s clear that even the self-proclaimed climate leaders can and should improve their plans,” said policy officer at Carbon Market Watch Agnese Ruggerio in a press release. Looking specifically at Germany, the assessment found there was a lack of specific measures to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector and criticised plans to increase the use of biomass for energy production – a move that would put land use under further pressure, according to Life PlanUP. The assessment also criticised that Germany missing emissions reduction plans for heavy-duty vehicles, aviation and shipping. Germany however “stands out” among the four countries within the building sector where it has set “a very ambitious target of achieving a carbon-neutral buildings sector by 2050”.

The European Commission has previously warned EU countries including Germany that draft national plans for the coming decade are insufficient to achieve the bloc’s 2030 energy and climate targets. With existing policies and measures, "Germany is not on track to achieve" its 2030 emissions target for sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the Commission said. The Commission also pointed to a lack of concrete sector-specific measures.