City of Berlin agrees to cut 2030 emissions by 70 percent

The city of Berlin has significantly stepped up its climate ambitions. The city state's parliament agreed to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 70 percent by 2030, by at least 90 percent by 2040 and by at least 95 percent by 2045, compared to 1990 levels. The German capital’s previous targets aimed for a 60 percent decrease by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050. The plan also says that from 2022, all suitable roof surfaces on public buildings must be used to generate renewable energy, while new building and renovation standards must reduce their energy consumption. The city's vehicle fleet is to become entirely CO2-free by 2030. Berlin's district heating, which warms 1.3 million households and currently runs primarily on hard coal, is to become CO2-free by 2045 at the latest. 

As the seat of federal government, and with its outsized international profile, Berlin could be an important municipal showcase for the Energiewende and a real-life laboratory for new climate-friendly transport and housing. But the city has a history of public mismanagement and lags behind national efforts to employ renewables in many ways.