Status: 04.01.2023 10:18 a.m
According to a study on the energy transition, Germany missed a key climate target last year: Despite lower energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions have not decreased.
According to a study, the increased use of coal-fired power plants as a substitute for gas has thwarted the German climate targets for 2022. According to a published analysis by the Agora Energiewende think tank, the use of coal and oil nullified the greenhouse gas savings, although overall energy consumption fell by almost five percent, mainly because of the high prices.
According to provisional figures, Germany produced 761 million tons of greenhouse gas, almost exactly as much as in 2021. The self-imposed upper limit for 2022 was missed by around five million tons. Accordingly, CO2 emissions stagnated at a high level despite reduced energy consumption, comparatively warm weather and favorable conditions for wind and solar systems.
“Alarm signal with regard to climate targets”
“This is an alarm signal with regard to the climate goals,” said Agora boss Simon Müller. He also pointed out that the traffic light coalition has so far failed to deliver its announced immediate climate protection program. The government must turn the tide by 2023. With a minus of 39 percent compared to 1990, emissions are still below the 40 percent target for 2020 at the time. By 2030, Germany wants to reduce emissions by 65 percent.
problem area traffic
Traffic remains the major problem area among the sectors: According to Agora, CO2 emissions at 150 million tons were well above the 139 million tons permitted under the Climate Protection Act. The reasons for missing the target are the traffic volume, which increased again after the corona decline, and the lack of political instruments to reduce emissions.
The industrial sector, on the other hand, has met its targets. This is a result of energy savings and more efficiency. Nevertheless, more is needed to achieve the targets for 2030.
According to the Agora evaluation, renewable energies produced 248 terawatt hours in 2022, more electricity than ever before. That is an increase of around ten percent compared to 2021. Wind power remained the largest electricity supplier among the renewables. At the same time, production from solar power plants increased by 23 percent compared to 2021 thanks to an above-average sunny year and a strong expansion of new plants.