Table of Contents
At a glance
- Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany declined by exactly 40 % between 1990 and 2022.
- Germany aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 % by 2020 and by at least 65 % by 2030 compared to 1990 emission levels. Complete greenhouse gas neutrality is to be achieved by 2045.
- In 2022, Germany stayed right under the 2020 target of minus 40 %. Without massive and rapid additional efforts, further goals will not be achieved either.
- With the ‘amended Federal Climate Protection Act’ in 2021, the sectoral emission quantities for the year 2030 were significantly reduced and the greenhouse gas neutrality to be achieved was brought forward from the year 2050 to the year 2045. To achieve the climate protection targets, the German government is developing an immediate climate protection program based on the Climate Protection Program 2030.
Environmental importance
Greenhouse gases are released mainly through the use of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum. Industrial processes and livestock farming are also relevant emission sources. Rising levels of greenhouse gases warm the earth's atmosphere, leading to climate change. Global warming has diverse negative impacts such as rising sea levels, increased risks of flooding, drought and other extreme weather events.
Thus at the 2015 Climate Summit in Paris the international community agreed to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C when possible and to keep it below 2 °C. This can only be achieved if global greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly reduced.
Assessing the development
Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany have fallen since 1990: from 1,251 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 1990 to 750 million tonnes in 2022 – a significant decrease following the emissions of the year 2022, which were characterized by extraordinary factors. Overall, this corresponds to a reduction of exactly 40 %. Excluding the low values in certain years with special circumstances, the indicator follows a long-term downward trend. After a period of stagnation, emissions have fallen significantly in 2017 to 2022, mainly due to increased emissions trading certificate prices and the expansion of renewable energies. In 2022, emissions fell by 9.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents or 1.3 % compared to the previous year.
At the end of 2015, a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol was agreed with the Paris Convention. The development to date makes it clear that intensive efforts in climate protection are necessary to achieve the targets. The German government has therefore initiated measures in the form of the ‘Climate Action Programme 2020' (BMUB 2014) and the ‘Climate Action Programme 2030’ (BReg 2019). With the ‘Federal Climate Change Act’, binding annual emission quantities as well as a monitoring and sharpening mechanisms for the individual sectors were agreed upon in order to ensure the greenhouse gas reduction target of 'at least 65 %' by 2030 and greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045.
Methodology
The indicator is based on the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2022 (EU Submission, January 2024). The calculation method is described in the latest inventory report (UBA 2023). Emissions of all greenhouse gases governed by the Kyoto Protocol (e.g. carbon dioxide, methane) are compiled in a standardised format. Since the different gases have different impacts on the climate, their effect is expressed in terms of the effect of carbon dioxide (CO2 equivalents).
More detailed information: ’Treibhausgas-Emissionen in Deutschland’ (in German only).