“German government ignores vast potential for CO2-retrenchment”

German CO₂ emissions in power generation could be immediately reduced by one quarter if low-emission fossil power plants were given priority for electricity generation, environmental organisation Greenpeace Energy writes in a press release. Emissions could be cut by about 79 million tonnes per year if power plants were deployed according to ecologic rather than economic criteria, according to a study commissioned by Greenpeace Energy and carried out by the Öko-Institut. Favouring plants fired with relatively more expensive natural gas over those fired with cheaper, but also dirtier, coal “would result in higher fuel costs, but which would still be significantly lower than average climate costs”, Greenpeace Energy writes. Applying this mechanism to power plant deployment would have resulted in about 1.1 billion euros higher costs in 2015 – which would equal 14 euros for every tonne of CO₂ saved, the environmental organisation says.

Read Greenpeace Energy’s press release in German here.

See the study in German by the Öko-Institut here.