Germany is at risk of missing its climate target this year, according to a report by a think-tank.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), citing the think-tank Agora Energiewende, reported on Thursday that Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions fell only slightly in the first half of the year.
Despite high energy prices, emissions fell by 7 to 327 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, according to preliminary figures from the think-tank.
If the decline in emissions continues at this rate until the end of the year, Germany will miss its 2026 climate target, Agora Energiewende predicts. It told dpa, upon enquiry, that this forecast takes into account the usual fluctuations over the course of the year.
The Federal Ministry for the Environment dismissed the calculations as premature.
A reliable assessment of emissions will not be available until March 2027, when the Federal Environment Agency publishes its climate report for the current year, a spokesman for the Environment Ministry told the dpa. “It is still too early to make a reliable, sound assessment of greenhouse gas emissions for 2026.”
Under the Climate Protection Act, Germany is permitted to emit around 625 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents this year. The FAZ reports that, according to the estimates, Germany would exceed this figure by ten million tonnes.
Key developments such as electricity generation from renewable energy sources, the weather and economic trends can only be properly assessed at the end of the year, though estimates and projections made during the year provide important indicators.
In addition, the Federal Government adopted a new climate protection programme in the spring, which will make a significant contribution to achieving the targets, including through the promotion of electric mobility and the expansion of onshore wind energy.