As reported by Spiegel, the German Environment Agency (UBA) has recommended for the country’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2030 to be increased to 70 percent below 1990 levels (from the existing aim of -65 percent). UBA also wants the coal power phase-out to be pushed out from 2038 to 2030, rather than 2038. Germany’s Unified Budget Agency (UBA) claims that a speedier transition to a carbon-neutral economy is required in order to meet the climate targets set forth in the Paris Agreement, according to a leaked report obtained by Der Spiegel.
Other recommendations include a 7 gigawatt (GW) annual increase in onshore wind power capacity and a 10 gigawatt (GW) annual increase in photovoltaic capacity, as well as a complete halt to coal use by 2040, an increase in the use of green hydrogen, and improved energy efficiency in the industrial sector. In the construction industry, it asks for a prohibition on new oil heating systems to be implemented immediately, followed by a restriction on new gas heating systems starting in 2026.
By 2035, internal combustion engines should be phased out of new automobiles
In addition, the CO2 price for gasoline and diesel should be greater than originally anticipated. The UBA also advocates for a reduction in yearly meat intake from the current level of around 60 kilogrammes per capita to little less than 16 kilogrammes.
As of now, Germany has established a goal of being carbon neutral by 2045, and has set a preliminary target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65 percent by 2030, and an additional 88 percent by 2040. According to the Climate Action Law, Germany’s national climate objectives can be raised but not decreased in terms of their ambition.