Germany has unveiled an €8 billion climate package of 67 measures intended to reduce emissions by about 27.1 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. The plan emphasizes faster wind-power expansion, more biofuels, support for electric cars and local public transport, and incentives to electrify industry.
The government says the package will strengthen climate protection and reduce dependence on costly, unreliable oil and gas imports. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider described it as a fresh push for the country’s climate goals while admitting that further action will be necessary.
But experts and critics argue the measures are inadequate and based on outdated assumptions. Germany is legally required to cut CO2 by at least 65% from 1990 levels by 2030, and current trajectories leave the country well short. Using last year’s data, policymakers would have needed an additional roughly 25 million tonnes of cuts; a fresh forecast from the Federal Environment Agency now suggests the gap is nearer 30 million tonnes. “On paper, this program just about manages to meet the 2030 climate target — but only because the federal government is working with outdated figures,” said Christoph Bals of Germanwatch.
The independent Council of Experts on Climate Change also judges the package insufficient to meet the legal requirements. The council urges more innovative, incentive-based policies, questions the measures’ cost-effectiveness, and highlights the absence of targeted support for low-income households that could be disproportionately affected by the transition.
Emissions trends are mixed. Some sectors have seen sharp drops — a decline the Federal Environment Agency largely attributes to a weak economy — while transport and building emissions have risen. Forests are currently absorbing more CO2, but those gains are being offset by increases elsewhere.
Green Party parliamentary leader Katharina Dröge condemned the plan as “a brazen deception,” and criticized the coalition for permitting the installation of new oil and gas heating systems, warning this could lock households into high long-term energy costs.
The policy shift is drawing international attention. Observers say Europe looks to be stepping back from earlier Green Deal ambitions. In India, for example, Germany has long been seen as a leader on the green transition, but there is growing concern that climate and energy priorities are slipping, says Pooja Ramamurthi of the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. Contributing factors include missed targets, a slower-than-planned coal phase-out, cuts to electric-vehicle subsidies, and the EU’s decision not to approve a 2035 internal-combustion-engine ban. Indian companies are also anxious about proposed EU CO2 levies on energy‑intensive imports such as steel.
The recent spike in oil and gas prices amid the war in Iran has underscored Europe’s continued dependence on fossil fuels. “The war in Iran reminds us once again how dangerous dependence on fossil fuels is,” says Carolin Schenuit of the Forum for Ecological and Social Market Economy. Critics warn the new package will do little to reduce that reliance.
The independent Council of Experts will review the measures, and if the package fails to meet legal standards the federal government could face lawsuits. The debate highlights a wider dilemma: balancing short-term energy security and economic concerns with the deep, rapid emissions cuts that scientists and the law demand.
This article was originally published in German.