In Germany, 904.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases were released last year. That was just under 4.7 million tonnes or 0.5 percent less than in previous year. As Federal Ministry for Environment has shared, CO2 emissions in electricity production have decreased. In transport sector and in industry, however, y increased. They stagnated in agriculture. The figures are based on a prognosis of environmental Agency (UBA). These are model calculations and a trend update of calculations for 2016. The complete data will not be published until January 2019.

According to UBA data, most significant decrease was in energy industry: in this case, emissions decreased by 13.7 million tonnes or 4.1 percent. The federal Environment Agency is recovering this decline by fact that less coal was fired for electricity production as a result of high wind power supply. Stone Coal with a total capacity of more than three gigawatts were shut down during course of year or transferred to network reserve, as well as two lignite power plants. In network reserve, energy companies receive money to keep power plants ready for operation.

Federal office sees total number of cars as a problem

In transport sector, emissions increased by 3.8 million tonnes to 170.6 million tonnes (plus 2.3 percent). According to UBA, one reason is that 1.5 percent more cars and 4 percent more trucks were added last year. The good economy leads to more freight transport on road.

The argument that increase is due to fact that less low-emission diesel cars are travelling on roads does not allow UBA to apply. UBA President Maria Krautzberger said: "It is wrong that we can only achieve our climate targets with diesel." In general, less and more economical vehicles are needed.

In industry, emissions increased by 2.5 percent to 192.9 million tonnes due to good economy. In agriculture, emissions stagnated, and in waste sector y decreased by 4.3 percent compared to previous year.

Environment Minister pulls mixed balance sheet

Minister Jade Schulze (SPD) Minister said that "additional measures are needed to bring Germany back on track towards climate goals". Compared to 1990, Germany reduced its emissions by 27.7 percent by 2017. The once-issued greenhouse gas target to reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2020 was last discarded by grand coalition. It was no longer to be achieved, it was said last year. The current coalition agreement is no longer same. Instead, a new target was issued: by 2030, emissions would have to be reduced by at least 55 percent.

The federal government is also planning a commission on growth, structural change and employment. This year, this is to call an end date for coal phase-out and to determine measures with which Germany can approach target 2020 as far as possible.

Schulze said climate balance shows a "mixed picture". Much has already been achieved in development of renewable energies. For climate protection and clean air, a fundamental shift in traffic must now become a major focus of this legislature. In this area, "Unfortunately, development is still in wrong direction," says Schulze.

"Much promised, hardly anything kept"

The environmental organization Greenpeace criticized federal government: figures of environmental agency were "a bitter balance" of climate policy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), said Greenpeace climate expert Karsten Smid. "She has promised much, she has kept hardly anything." The objective agreed for 2020 is only to be achieved if lignite power plants are "extensively throttled and shut down," said Smid. The fact that emissions in traffic have stagnated since 1990 is "scandalous".

Stefan Kapferer, chairman of Executive Board of Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW), called for trade in emissions certificates to be extended to areas of transport, agriculture and heat market. This would also require issuers re to pay for ir greenhouse gas output.

Date Of Update: 28 March 2018, 12:02