Environment agency expects Germany’s 2021 CO2 emissions to rise

BERLIN, Jan. 20– In 2020, Germany’s total emissions fell to 728.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, dropping 8.9 percent below the previous year’s level and 41.3 percent below that of 1990, according to final figures published by the German Federal Environment Agency on Thursday. Germany would meet its 2020 emissions budget as set by the European Union’s…

BERLIN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) — In 2020, Germany’s total emissions fell to 728.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, dropping 8.9 percent below the previous year’s level and 41.3 percent below that of 1990, according to final figures published by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) on Thursday.

“The COVID-19 crisis caused emissions to fall sharply in 2020,” said Dirk Messner, president of the UBA. “But that won’t last, as our initial forecasts show that emissions rose again in 2021.”

Germany would meet its 2020 emissions budget as set by the European Union’s (EU) Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) and the figures were officially submitted to the European Commission, according to the UBA.

However, the surplus of 3.5 million metric tons could not offset the cumulative deficit of the previous years. “Germany must therefore buy additional emissions allowances from other member states,” the UBA said.

Germany’s energy industry achieved the sharpest reduction in emissions in 2020, lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 15.2 percent to around 220 million metric tons, the agency said.

The country’s new government has raised the target for electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030 to 80 percent, significantly increasing the previous target of 65 percent. The country aims to become fully climate-neutral by 2045.

“The climate targets require a near tripling of the current pace of emissions reductions by 2030,” said Patrick Graichen, state secretary at the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). In order to achieve the country’s desired annual emission levels in the future, additional measures are needed in all sectors.

Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck already conceded last week that Germany would likely miss its climate targets for 2022 and 2023. Measures implemented to date have been “inadequate in all sectors” and the country would have a “drastic backlog” on climate protection. Enditem