Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany fell by 1.9 percent last year. As the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) announced on Wednesday, CO2 emissions in the energy sector increased due to the increased use of coal-fired power plants. The areas of transport and buildings tore again the requirements of the Climate Protection Act. UBA President Dirk Messner called for a significantly faster expansion of renewable energies in order to still achieve the climate targets for 2030.
Overall, greenhouse gas emissions in Germany in 2022 were 746 million tons. This was a good 15 million tons less than in the previous year. According to the Federal Environment Agency, emissions in Germany have fallen by 40.4 percent since 1990.
In the energy sector, however, emissions increased by 4.4 percent to 256 million tons. For the second time in a row, emissions from hard coal and lignite power plants used to generate electricity and heat have increased, the Federal Environment Agency said. They were increasingly used to compensate for bottlenecks in natural gas supplies caused by the Ukraine war. Gas consumption was 10.8 percent below the previous year.
Emissions from traffic increased by 0.7 percent to 148 million tons. According to the Federal Environment Agency, this area is “the only sector” that has recorded an increase compared to the previous year and does not meet the requirements of the Federal Climate Protection Act.
The building sector once again exceeded the maximum amount specified in the Federal Climate Protection Act. However, emissions fell by 5.3 percent to 112 million tons. Industry, meanwhile, saw emissions fall by 10.4 percent to 164 million tons, in line with targets.
In agriculture, emissions fell by 1.5 percent to 62 million tons. According to the UBA, the main reason is a further decline in the number of pigs and a lower use of mineral fertilizers. In the waste sector, meanwhile, emissions fell by 4.5 percent to 4.3 million tons.
According to the authority, renewable energies covered more than a fifth of gross energy consumption for the first time last year (20.4 percent; 2021: 19.2 percent). The strong growth in renewable energies in the electricity sector was particularly decisive. Their share rose to 46.2 percent (2021: 41.2 percent).
But according to UBA boss Messner, this is far from enough. “We have to manage to install three times as much capacity as before in order to increase the share of renewables in electricity generation to 80 percent by 2030,” he explained. Because in order to achieve the climate goals of the federal government, “emissions must now be reduced by six percent per year”. This would be a drastic acceleration. Because since 2010, according to Messner, the average has been “not even two percent” per year.
The emissions data for 2022 are now being examined by the Expert Council on Climate Issues. He has a month to do this. After that, the ministries responsible for transport and buildings each have three months to present an immediate program to achieve the climate targets. The federal government is already working on this based on the results of the past year.
According to the Climate Protection Act, Germany must reduce its emissions by 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Annual sector targets for the areas of energy, transport, industry, buildings, agriculture and the waste sector are intended to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are gradually reduced. If the targets are missed, immediate programs for correction must actually be decided. In the past year, however, this has not happened in the problem areas of traffic and buildings.
