From drought and record heat to floods and storms, climate impacts are intensifying. The German government has responded with an €8 billion climate protection program of 67 measures, which officials say could save about 27.1 million tons of CO2 by 2030. Key items include accelerating wind power expansion, promoting biofuels, supporting electric vehicles and local public transport, and pushing industrial electrification.
Germany is legally required to cut CO2 emissions by at least 65% versus 1990 levels by 2030, but it is currently far off that path. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider hailed the plan as “a new boost for climate protection that will make us less dependent on expensive and unreliable oil and gas imports,” while acknowledging more work is needed.
Critics say the plan rests on outdated data. Using last year’s figures, Germany would have needed an extra 25 million tons of reductions to meet targets; a new forecast from the Federal Environment Agency says the shortfall is now about 30 million tons. “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program just about manages to meet the 2030 climate target — but only because the federal government is working with outdated figures,” said Christoph Bals of Germanwatch.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 measures insufficient to meet legal requirements. It calls for innovative, incentive-based policies, questions the program’s cost-effectiveness, and highlights the absence of targeted relief for low-income households.
Emissions trends are mixed. Some industries have seen sharp declines, largely attributed by the Federal Environment Agency to a weak economy, while transport and building-sector emissions have risen. Forests are storing more CO2, but those gains are offset by increases elsewhere. Green Party parliamentary leader Katharina Dröge called the program “a brazen deception,” and has criticized the coalition’s decision to allow installation of new oil and gas heating, warning it could trap households in high costs.
Germany’s policy shift is also noticed abroad. Observers say Europe appears to be retreating from earlier Green Deal ambitions. “In India, Germany is definitely viewed as one of the most ambitious actors in the green transition,” says Pooja Ramamurthi of the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, but there’s a growing sense that climate and energy priorities are slipping. Contributing factors include missed targets, a slower-than-planned coal phase-out, reductions in electric vehicle subsidies, and the EU’s rejection of a 2035 internal-combustion-engine ban. Indian firms are also worried about EU CO2 levies on energy-intensive imports like steel.
The current oil and gas price spike amid the war in Iran highlights Europe’s reliance 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. Observers warn the new package will do little to reduce that dependence. The independent Council of Experts will scrutinize the measures, and if they fail legal tests the federal government could face lawsuits.
This article was originally published in German.
