German minister fears 2030 climate goals will not be met | abroad

Without policy changes, Habeck said, Germany would have reduced greenhouse gases by only 50 percent by the end of the decade, instead of the target of 65 percent from 1990. “That’s 200 million tons too much.”

In any case, last year’s target was largely not met, and a 4 percent increase in emissions was recorded. In general, there is a “significant backlog” in climate protection at all levels.

According to Habek, very little has happened in recent years with regard to renewable energy. The country has only eight years left to get the share of renewable energy to 80 percent, up from 42 percent.
The government has set a target to phase out coal by 2030, eight years ahead of schedule. However, due to the decrease in winds in the past year, the share of the polluted energy source has relatively increased. Shutting down the last six nuclear reactors, which are due to be completed by the end of this year, will increase carbon dioxide emissions by an additional 40 million tons.

To turn the tide, 2 percent of the land area has been devoted to wind energy projects, nearly four times what it is now. Habek promised to drastically reduce the red tape for approval and called on the resistance to stop. “Everyone needs to participate.”
It is also necessary to cover the new company buildings with solar panels. This should also become the norm for new homes. The government will help with investments in hydrogen production and greening of factories. By 2030, there should be 15 million electric vehicles on the roads. An additional 100,000 recharge points must be added each year.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government wants Germany to be carbon-neutral by 2045. The Social Democrat has made tackling climate change a top priority and has promised the biggest economic and industrial transformation in a century. The goal is legislation that Parliament must approve this year.