When the annual UN climate conference begins in winter, the German government likes to pat itself on the back. Germany is recognized around the globe as a “good guy” when it comes to climate protection, said the delegation at the mammoth meeting in Dubai, known in UN jargon as COP28, with some pride.
Even the new billion-dollar holes in the federal finances should not change Germany’s reliability as a donor, as Climate State Secretary Jennifer Morgan emphasized on Thursday. The Federal Republic is also well on the way to becoming greenhouse gas neutral by 2045, as promised.
Today Olaf Scholz is also flying in – who campaigned for himself as “climate chancellor” in the election campaign. What exactly does he have in his luggage? And how does Germany actually stand overall when it comes to climate protection?
Germany’s balance sheet: fewer greenhouse gases, but the trend is too slow
Germany’s record on climate protection could be summarized as follows: There are many gaps and construction sites, but globally, many countries are doing worse. Concrete:
According to the Federal Environment Agency, around 746 million tons of climate-damaging greenhouse gases were released in Germany last year – at least 40.4 percent less than in 1990. But according to the Climate Protection Act, the numbers must be reduced by a whopping 65 percent by 2030, and binding climate neutrality must then be achieved by 2045 at the latest. This requires a rapid increase in speed, with around six percent fewer emissions year after year, as the head of the authority, Dirk Messner, calculated in the autumn. But: Since 2010, Germany has not even achieved an average of two percent.
Things are particularly bad on the roads. It is the only sector that actually emitted more greenhouse gases in 2022 compared to the previous year – despite high fuel prices and a 9-euro ticket. No wonder: despite all the alarm calls, the number of cars in this country continues to rise. There are currently 48.8 million cars – and only one in 50 of them is an electric car.
Carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in this country have also recently risen sharply – an indirect consequence of high gas prices and the energy crisis due to the war in Ukraine. Massive amounts of energy also had to be exported, especially to France, where half of all nuclear power plants were not connected to the grid due to repairs.
Internationally, many are much worse
Germany is making progress in climate protection, albeit far too slowly. However, this means that the Federal Republic is not in a bad position compared to other countries – because many states do much less. Because 139 countries worldwide are currently emitting more greenhouse gases than in 2005 – some even twice as much as the NewClimate Institute determined.
A negative example is China: in 2005, the People’s Republic released 5.8 billion tons of CO2, but in 2021 it was already 11.5 billion – a good 30 percent of all emissions worldwide. In terms of per capita emissions, China is now at the same level as Germany – but still far behind countries such as the USA, Australia, Canada and Russia.
Climate expert Niclas Höhne from the New Climate Institute concluded at a discussion panel in mid-November that there was no sign of a radical change globally. He based it on new UN calculations: Even if all climate protection promises are kept – which many doubt – emissions in 2030 are likely to be only two percent below the 2019 level. In order to reach the 1.5 degree global warming target, they would have to be halved by then.
German performance overall “unsatisfactory”
The NewClimate Institute also regularly publishes the widely respected analysis tool “Climate Action Tracker”, which regularly assesses the climate policies of more than 40 countries. Despite individual progress, the experts classify Germany’s performance overall as “inadequate”: It seems as if the federal government has given up on its own climate protection target for 2030.
For example, it is inappropriate that Germany does not implement even simple measures such as a general speed limit on motorways. At the end of August, a federal government projection report coordinated by the Federal Environment Agency showed that the climate targets for 2030 and 2045 are “at risk” without additional measures – which does not really fit with the government’s self-praise.
The Climate Action Tracker highlights positively, even in international comparison, that the federal government has systematically removed obstacles to the expansion of renewable energies. When it comes to solar energy, it is on the way to exceeding its own expansion targets, but not yet when it comes to wind energy.
Scholz wants to launch the climate club
In the budget crisis of his traffic light government, the Chancellor is taking a break to take part in the climate summit in Dubai. But he only stays in the wealthy Gulf emirate for 20 hours – eight hours less than planned. Today, as soon as he lands, he will get his “climate club,” one of his favorite projects, off the ground. Not for the first time.
The loose association of ambitious states in the fight against climate change was actually founded last year at the G7 summit at Elmau Castle in Bavaria. Now comes the “full launch”, the complete introduction with now more than 33 countries. The club’s main goal is to transform the industry in a climate-friendly manner. International cooperation makes sense in order to avoid competitive disadvantages.
New damper for COP28 of all times
On the first day of COP28, of all places, there was a new setback for the traffic light: The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court condemned the federal government to launch immediate programs for more climate protection in transport and buildings. The judges upheld lawsuits brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the environmental association BUND. The plaintiffs demanded immediate action – for example with a speed limit. Lucky for the beleaguered government: it was able to appeal – and initially postpone the effect of the far-reaching verdict.
Reason for shortening
Nevertheless, it is a setback for the Chancellor’s short trip to Dubai. On Saturday morning, Scholz will give his summit speech and then we’ll head back to Berlin. Given the precarious budget situation, the political priorities currently lie at home. “The Chancellor just has a few more things to do, and so it is clear that reorganizations are possible,” said government circles about shortening the trip at short notice.
