- Coalition agreed to cut sanctioning powers in climate law
- Government advisers warn of increased risks to 2030 targets
According to Bloomberg article published on April 17, 2023, a decision to reduce sanctioning powers in Germany’s climate law will make it even harder for the nation to meet its emissions goals at the end of the decade.
The row back, agreed by the coalition government at the end of March, increases the risk that Germany will miss its goal of cutting greenhouse gases by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990-levels, an influential committee of advisers wrote in a report.
Germany is already behind where it needs to be. Last year, the nation cut its carbon emissions by 1.9% to 746 million tons, a reduction path that experts say is too slow. Without a major turnaround, Germany will only reach a 55% reduction by 2030, said Marc Oliver Bettzüge, member of the Council of Experts on Climate Change.
Germany’s transport sector is the biggest laggard with emissions increasing last year for the second consecutive year. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, from the Green party, said that the watered down penalty measures agreed last month will make it impossible to meet emissions goals in the transport sector.
