German Vice-Chancellor in the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck has said that the country must triple the pace of emission cuts to reach its 2030 goals.
Germany missed its climate target for 2021 and is likely to miss them again this year and next if necessary actions are not taken.
According to Habeck, 2021 was a bad year for Germany’s climate ambitions as Renewable electricity generation hit a two-year low due to exceptionally low winds and carbon emissions picked up again after a brief drop caused by Covid-19 restrictions.
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As a result, the country missed its 2021 climate goals” he said. “We start with a drastic backlog,” admitted Habeck as he presented Germany’s 2021 climate account in Berlin.
Habeck explained that under business-as-usual projections, Germany would achieve a mere 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 and that would mean emitting 200 million tonnes of CO2 more” than the country’s target.
“The climate protection measures taken to date are inadequate in all sectors,” he said, adding that Germany would likely “miss its 2022 and 2023 climate targets.”
Recall that in December, the “traffic light” coalition made up of the socialist SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP assumed office in Berlin following 16 years of conservative rule by Angela Merkel.
Habeck observed that the country had cut emissions by 40% relative to 1990, according to official figures published in December. Now, it would have to cut another 25% to achieve its 2030 targets.
“To do this, we need to triple the pace of our emissions reductions and do significantly more in less time,” he pointed out.
