Joint press release with the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Röttgen: Greenhouse gas reduction efforts a great success

Emissions down by 25 percent over 1990 levels

Germany continued to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments during the 2010 economic recovery period. Based on the 1990 index year, Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions had sunk by nearly 25 percent in 2010. Some 295 million tonnes CO2 less were emitted in 2010 than in 1990. “Germany’s success in climate protection is exemplary on both international and European scale. We have demonstrated that economic growth and climate protection can go hand in hand. We hope to continue in this way and achieve a 40-percent reduction by 2020. We are almost two-thirds of the way there, and we see that our climate protection policy has provided strong incentive for economic growth, innovation and employment“, said Federal Minister for Environment Dr. Norbert Röttgen.
No. 02/12

 

Detailed information for 2010 comes from the 2012 National Inventory Report drawn up by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and co-published by the Federal Ministry for Environment and the Federal Environment Agency. Germany’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol is to bring its greenhouse emissions in 2008-2012 down to 21 percent below 1990 levels. In comparison to the 2009 crisis year when emissions rose again slightly by 2.7 percent owing to economic recovery, 2010 emissions nevertheless remained about 4 percent below those of the previous crisis year 2008.

Emissions of carbon dioxide in 2010, with a share of 87.4 percent, were the main source of all greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of which can be traced to the combustion of fossil fuels whose consumption rose slightly as the economy recovered. In contrast, there was an above average decline in other greenhouse gases.

President Jochen Flasbarth of the Federal Environment Agency said, “Germany has demonstrated that Kyoto targets can be met. I am certain that we can continue to cut greenhouse gases if we make efforts to increase energy efficiency and promote renewable energies.“

 

Umweltbundesamt Hauptsitz

Wörlitzer Platz 1
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Germany

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