climate
Think tank: Germany produces fewer greenhouse gases
Gas is burned off at a mobile flare system. photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
According to preliminary calculations, Germany emitted fewer climate-damaging greenhouse gases in the first half of the year. But that’s no reason to be happy, warns an expert.
The figures are available from the German Press Agency in Berlin. Agora relies on data from the Federal Environment Agency and the Working Group on Energy Balances. For better comparability, other greenhouse gases are converted into CO2 equivalents, based on their respective contribution to global warming compared to carbon dioxide. According to the information, Germany emitted 372 million tons of climate-damaging gases in the second half of 2022.
“That’s no reason to be happy,” warned the Germany director of Agora Energiewende, Simon Müller, with a view to the falling emissions of greenhouse gases. “Because behind the reduction in emissions is not the structural conversion that we need. The expansion of wind energy is still progressing far too slowly and the Building Energy Act is not sufficient to achieve the climate targets in the building sector.”
On the one hand, the decline is due to the high prices for natural gas and electricity, which has led to a drop in production, particularly in energy-intensive industry, said Müller. Secondly, coal-fired power generation in particular has declined in Germany due to a more relaxed situation on the European electricity market.
Müller advocates reduced industrial electricity prices
But Müller also noted: “The reduction in emissions brings our climate targets for 2030 a step closer.” By then, Germany wants to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 65 percent compared to 1990. “We should seize this opportunity, for example by significantly speeding up the approval process for onshore wind turbines, quickly clarifying the funding conditions for heat pumps and improving the framework for climate-neutral district heating.” Climate neutrality means that no more climate-damaging gases are emitted than can be bound again.
Müller, like Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), advocated lower industrial electricity prices, but only for the most energy-intensive companies. “Because if we don’t do anything, we have to fear that parts of the industry will migrate.” The measure should give the country time for the necessary change. “It is therefore important to limit the price of industrial electricity over time and to focus on the most energy-intensive industry – that means subsidizing a total consumption of 50 terawatt hours.” This should bridge the time until significantly more electricity can be generated from renewable energies in Germany.
“At the same time, it is important to reduce the consumption of energy and resources in industry, for example through greater efficiency and recycling,” says Müller. “We can also secure competitiveness through circular economy and innovative products.”