Merkel’s promise: We will find ways to meet our climate target by 2020

In a televised town hall campaign event, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised voters that Germany would find ways to meet its ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020. One young first-time voter asked about shutting down coal-fired power plants to reach climate targets: “You made a name for yourself with the nuclear exit – although it took the Fukushima catastrophe for this to happen. So I ask myself: What are you waiting for with the coal exit?”. Merkel said that many coal-fired power plants had already been switched off or designated for “security standby”, and added that this seemed not enough for the young voter. “I say we will find ways to meet our target by 2020. I promise you that,” said the Chancellor. She added that she had fought for international climate agreements from the moment she became environment minister, and this meant that Germany had to be a trailblazer. “We have to be the pioneers in modern technology.”

Watch the video in German here (from min. 40).

See the CLEW article Germany heads for "spectacular" 2020 climate target miss- study and the factsheets The story of “Climate Chancellor” Angela Merkel and When will Germany finally ditch coal?