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German gov't announces further cut in emissions

03 December 2014 23:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.The German federal government approved a climate action package on Wednesday to cut more carbon emissions in a bid to meet its previously pledged climate target, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Germany pledged to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels. The target is more ambitious than that of the whole European Union which is only willing to reach the same reduction level by 2030.

However, Germany faces challenges in meeting the target as the country abandoned nuclear power and still relies on conventional energies such as brown and hard coal for power generation.

The German government said on Wednesday that under current reduction efforts, Germany was expected to miss the 40 percent target by 5 to 8 percentage points.

According to the climate package, Germany would cut an extra 62 million to 78 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in emissions by 2020 compared with the current projection.

Among them, 22 million tonnes would be allocated to power sector, and be distributed to power plants by the Federal Economy Ministry.

Transportation sector would cut 7 million to 10 million tonnes CO2 equivalent, while agriculture would contribute 3.6 million tonnes. Another 3 million to 7.7 million tonnes would be cut in industry, trade, service and waste management, and 1.5 million to 4.7 million tonnes cut in buildings, the government said.

In addition, Germany seeks to complete the rest reduction target of 25 million to 30 million tonnes from a national energy efficiency plan, under which the federal government would use tax incentives to promote energy-saving renovation in buildings and would cooperate with the economy in establishing another 500 energy efficiency network.

Each part of the network would consist 8 to 15 companies, said the government, and would seek to improve energy efficiency via professional consultation and mutual assistance.

"This is the most comprehensive package of measures that the federal government has ever presented on climate change," said Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks in a statement, adding that Germany aims to show that it could respect the goals set, and to send "an important confidence-building signal for the climate conference in Lima."