Climate | Energy

Germany generated some 805 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 – 54 million tonnes (6.3%) less than in 2018. These are the results of a preliminary inventory of greenhouse gas emissions taken by the German Environment Agency (UBA), which continues the positive course of development of the previous year. With the exception of the global crisis year 2009, emissions reductions in 2019.

A general speed limit on German federal motorways would allow reductions of greenhouse gas emissions ranging between 1.9 and 5.4 million tonnes annually, depending on the actual limit imposed. These are the results of new calculations by the German Environment Agency (UBA).

Power production from renewable sources energy grew significantly by eight percent in 2019 and now covers 42 percent of power consumption. It was the first year in which the share of electricity from renewable energy was greater than that of all the lignite and hard coal power plants together. But: An historic low in wind power expansion does slow future growth.

The Federal Government offsets all of its business travel greenhouse gas emissions. It tracks the emissions of the car trips and air travel of the staff of 116 ministries and federal agencies and offsets their impact through high-standard international climate action projects.

Minimizing cumulative emissions is essential for reducing the risk of overshooting the warming limit of 1.5 degrees. This study commissioned by the German Environment Agency analyses the implications for the EU ETS and presents different scenarios for this goal. The authors conclude that the cap reduction factor should be increased to 4 percent starting from 2021 or 5.8 percent starting from 2026.

Greening the office roof, unsealing the schoolyard, farming crops which are adapted to climate change, flood management measures, etc. This is the fourth time the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) is acknowledging local and regional projects which make a real contribution to coping with the effects of climate change in Germany.

More and more proof of global warming is becoming evident.

The Paris Agreement has strengthened objectives to limit global warming remarkably. Considering a fair or cost-effective contribution to global efforts relevant greenhouse gas emitting countries should upgrade their national 2030 commitments to comply with the respective goals. Even, simply redistributing cost-effective reductions among parties by 2050 would not meet fairness considerations.

In 2018, the European Commission published its communication “A clean planet for all”, which calls for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A thorough study commissioned by UBA assessing the underlying scenarios for policy making shows, that central aspects for building an adequate ambitious long-term climate strategy, such as socio-economic, fiscal and technological, had been considered.

With the Paris Agreement the EU urgently needs to re-assess its long-term target. A new scenario, commissioned by UBA, shows that a GHG-neutral EU is feasible, based on a fully decarbonized energy supply, without carbon capture and storage. Key components of the scenario are a strong increase in energy efficiency as well as far-reaching electrification. The use of bioenergy is strongly limited.

In its new RESCUE study, the German Environment Agency (UBA) analyzes how to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality and reduce raw material consumption by 70 percent by the year 2050. The RESCUE study describes six scenarios of possible transformation pathways for which details must be fleshed out. The scenarios are meant to help the federal government achieve the agreed goal of greenhouse gas neutrali

200 international experts meeting in Berlin.