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................................ .gif){kind=small} ................................  ................................  ................................ .jpg) ................................  News from European Union and South Asia ................................ Media in Germany Media - Deutschland Portal European Journalism Centre |
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 Indo-German Chamber of Commerce |
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© dpa Picture-Alliance GmbH
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March 30, 2009
Green house gas emissions for Germany in 2008 were recorded at lowest levels since 1990. The total emissions of all green house gases in Germany for 2008 are almost 12 million tonnes lower than the previous year; a fall of 1.2 percent, according to the joint press release by the German Ministry of Environment and the Federal Environment Agency on Sunday, 29 March, in Berlin.
The total emissions at 945 million tonnes CO2-equivalent are within the target corridor of the Kyoto protocol. Germany is committed to reduce average greenhouse gas emissions from 2008-2012 by 21% (compared to the base year 1990). According to the latest short-term projection made by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), based on average emissions in 2008, Germany has already fulfilled its commitments in the first year of the target corridor itself by achieving a reduction of 23.3 %.
According to German Minister for Environment, Sigmar Gabriel "Even if one credits one to two percent of this reduction to the current economic downturn, the new figures prove the effectiveness of our climate protection policy.”
Germany is a pioneer in climate protection and has already achieved its Kyoto-targets three years in advance.
“In order to meet the 2020 targets we must now continue on this proven path and further strengthen it with additional measures by focusing on renewables and increasing energy efficiency”, Gabriel said.
The largest percentage of the decrease was in the level of carbon dioxide emissions with a decrease of 9.4 million tonnes (minus 1.1 percent). CO2 made up 88% of the German green house gas emissions in 2008. “The reason for the fall in CO2-emissions is the decreased demand for black and brown coal (anthracite and lignite)”, said Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge, president of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). At the same time energy sources with lower emissions such as natural gas and increasingly renewable energy resources have been introduced. Dr. Troge also brought to attention the fact that climate change should not be neglected in face of the current financial and economic crisis.
"We should not become complacent with the present results: this is the perfect time to focus on the future and on new technologies that will further decrease green house emissions“, he said.
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