Energy and climate
Climate protection is the greatest challenge facing environmental policy. Climate researchers have identified numerous developments indicating that climate change is already underway. For example, of the ten hottest years on record since global temperatures started being compiled in the mid-19th century, seven of these have occurred during the past decade. In the view of many scientists, there is a high degree of probability that this development is attributable to human influence. For this reason, human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases - particularly carbon dioxide generated from fuel combustion - must be drastically reduced across the globe.
Greenhouse gas reduction targets
In the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, the industrialised nations committed themselves to reducing their emissions of six greenhouse gases by at least 5% over 1990 levels within the commitment period 2008-2012. The member states of the European Union reached an agreement on how they will divide up their share of emissions reductions amongst themselves: under this agreement, Germany's emissions reductions target is 21%.
Reducing emissions: What has Germany accomplished so far?
From 1994 through 2006, Germany cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 19%. This was chiefly a result of modernisation processes in the new Länder, but measures implemented as part of the German government's climate protection programmes played a key role as well. Germany expects to fulfil its 21% emissions reductions target within the 2008-2012 commitment period without needing to adopt any additional measures.
Integrated Energy and Climate Programme
On 5 December 2007, the German government unveiled its Integrated Energy and Climate Programme, which aims to set a global example in the fields of energy and climate policy and is suited to the needs and capabilities of a modern national economy. The launch was timed to coincide with the kick-off of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, which was held from 3-15 December 2007. The programme is based on the conviction that (a) energy must be used with much greater efficiency than is currently the case and (b) a much higher priority must be placed on the use of low-carbon energy. The adopted measures aim to prove that climate protection is both affordable and compatible with economic growth. For this reason, the German government is pursuing policies that deliver favourable results in keeping CO2 emissions low, but that are also as cost-effective as possible. Our aim is to achieve positive environmental outcomes without having a negative impact on consumers and the competitiveness of German business.
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