Germany is set to fall ‘massively’ short of its 2030 climate targets, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) has said, as the country’s government announced plans to allocate €100 billion for climate action and economic transformation as part of its extraordinary budget.
According to Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Germany will fall short of its 2030 climate target by 25 million tonnes of CO2, while the target for 2045 will be missed by as much as 204 million tonnes of CO2 if no additional efforts are made.
Among the core contributors are the transport and building sectors, which will account for 169 and 110 million tonnes of CO2, respectively, by 2030.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe is calling for the introduction of a number of measure to help address emissions from these sectors, including an energy-efficient renovation programme for buildings, as well as a speed limit on motorways (100 km/h) and reduced speeds on country roads (80 km/h) and in urban areas (30 km/h).
‘Set the course’
“The CDU/CSU and SPD must now set the course for real climate protection – otherwise, we will force them to do so before the Federal Administrative Court,” commented Jürgen Resch, federal executive director, Deutsche Umwelthilfe.
Commenting on the carbon footprint of the building sector specifically, Barbara Metz, federal director, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, added that the failure to meet targets is primarily the result of a backlog of investments in the renovation of Germany’s building stock.
“First, all public buildings should be addressed, especially kindergartens and schools, in order to achieve the EU-specified renovation rate of three percent as quickly as possible,” she said. “Energy-efficient and socially acceptable renovation of residential buildings is also the most effective lever for reducing energy consumption and emissions.”
Carbon sinks
Elsewhere, the report also raised alarms about the land-use sector, particularly the failure to adequately protect peatlands and forests, which are natural carbon sinks.
For example, intact peatlands and healthy forests would need to sequester 25 million tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere by 2030. Instead, according to the projection report, 32 million tonnes of CO2 will be emitted in 2030.
‘A significant step’
Elsewhere, representative group 350.org said that Germany’s €100 billion commitment marks a ‘significant step towards decarbonising Germany’s economy’, however it added that a ‘glaring omission’ relating to international climate finance is a cause for concern.
“The scale of this investment signals progress and will ensure green job growth, but climate change knows no borders,” said Andreas Sieber, associate director of policy and campaigns at 350.org. “Germany cannot afford to look only inward while it needs to build bridges – even more so as Donald Trump is busy burning bridges. Cooperation with emerging and developing economies will demand more than rhetoric. A transformative budget must also include robust international support for developing countries.” Read more here and here.
