German emissions reduction labelled “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker

The German government’s action on emission reductions is “insufficient” for reaching its climate promises, an analysis NGO Climate Action Tracker has found. In a press release, the climate policy analysis organisation said the three-party coalition government has been swiftly accelerating domestic climate policy, but has not done enough to reach its target of 65 percent emissions reductions from 1990 levels by 2030. In addition, the coalition has promised to “overachieve” this and make emissions savings in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target. This will require more ambitious policy than what is laid out in the coalition contract. The organisation warned that the government’s reaction to the Ukraine War has also been worrying, and that it risks a “lock-in” of fossil fuels with its plans to build new LNG import infrastructure. Overall, the Climate Action Tracker has given Germany an overall rating of ‘Insufficient,’ two ratings below its ‘1.5 compatible’ rating.

Setting Germany on a 1.5°C-compatible path is one of the major promises of the coalition government of Social Democrats (SPD), Green Party and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) that took over after Angela Merkel's long reign ended in December 2021. The new Green Party-led ministry for economy and climate has promised the largest energy reform in decades and wants to unleash a new renewables boom to enable a clean energy share of 100 percent in the electricity sector by 2035. By the beginning of next year, the effect of the first new policies and streamlined planning procedures for wind parks should become visible, the climate minister has said.