Climate package not enough for Germany's 2030 targets - govt agencies
Clean Energy Wire / Süddeutsche Zeitung
The heads of Germany's environment agency UBA and energy agency dena doubt the effectiveness of the government's comprehensive climate policy package to help the country meet its 2030 emissions reduction target. "It won't be enough, there need to be much more incentives for supporting climate-friendly transport," UBA head Maria Krautzberger told Süddeutsche Zeitung. Krautzberger said she does not expect the Climate Action Programme 2030's proposals to have a substantial steering effect on CO2 emissions, despite it introducing a price on carbon emissions in the transport and buildings sector for the first time in Germany. The UBA head said the projected rise in petrol prices of 3 to 10 cents over the next three years will not be enough to lead to much lower emissions. Energy agency head Andreas Kuhlmann said the package could be "a starting point for a change of course" but added that "what was politically possible today will, in all likelihood, not be enough for reaching the 2030 climate targets”. In a press release by dena, Kuhlmann said that while many had hoped for a tighter pricing scheme, the package nevertheless contained all the tools necessary for a successful turnaround in German climate policy. "It is now important to take the government at its word," Kuhlmann said, arguing that the monitoring procedures outlined in the package should be made rigorous enough to allow for a true enhancement of the package at a later point.
The government coalition presented its climate package on 20 September after long deliberations of the so-called climate cabinet. Besides introducing carbon pricing in transport and heating, the package also contains proposals to encourage climate-friendly retrofitting of buildings, boost the spread of e-mobility and ensure a smooth expansion of renewable energy sources. While chancellor Angela Merkel has said the package stands for what is possible today politically, critics argue that consideration for their core supporters kept the coalition parties from pursuing effective policies.
