“Germany falls behind on climate targets; zero-carbon economy needed to meet Paris Agreement”

Germany’s greenhouse gas reduction target of 80-95 percent by 2050 can't be reached with current plans, and is in itself inadequate to meet the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, according to a new study by Energy Watch Group (EWG). “The government needs to completely rewrite its energy concept and climate targets,” said Hans-Josef Fell, former member of the German Bundestag and president of EWG at a press conference in Berlin. He added that environment minister Barbara Hendricks’ Climate Action Plan 2050 – even before having been trimmed-down – is not a suitable national plan to reach global climate targets. The study, entitled “German Climate Policy – From Leader to Laggard,” calls to aim for a global zero-carbon economy as early as 2030 and the creation of effective carbon sinks, mostly by agriculture and forestry.

Find a press release in English here and the study in German here.

For background read the CLEW factsheet Germany’s trimmed-down Climate Action Plan.