Climate policy: Germany at the World Climate Conference

COP28 - Climate policy: Germany at the World Climate Conference

When the annual UN Climate Change Conference begins in winter, the German government likes to pat itself on the back. The delegation at the mammoth meeting in Dubai, known as COP28 in UN jargon, is proud to say that Germany is recognized around the globe as a "good guy" when it comes to climate protection.

Even the new billion-euro holes in the federal finances should not change Germany's reliability as a donor, as State Secretary for Climate Action Jennifer Morgan emphasized on Thursday. Germany is also well on the way to becoming greenhouse gas neutral by 2045, as promised.

Olaf Scholz is also flying in today - he promoted himself as "Climate Chancellor" during the election campaign. What does he actually have in his luggage? And how is Germany doing overall in terms of climate protection?

Germany's record: fewer greenhouse gases, but the trend is too slow

Germany's climate protection record could be summarized as follows: There are many gaps and construction sites, but globally, many countries are doing worse. Specifically:

According to the Federal Environment Agency, around 746 million tons of climate-damaging greenhouse gases were released in Germany last year - 40.4 percent less than in 1990. However, according to the Climate Protection Act, the figures must be reduced by a whopping 65 percent by 2030, and climate neutrality must be achieved by 2045 at the latest. This requires a rapid increase in speed, with around six percent fewer emissions every year, as the head of the authorities, Dirk Messner, calculated in the fall. However, since 2010, Germany has not even achieved an average of two percent.

Things are going particularly badly in road traffic. It is the only sector that actually emitted more greenhouse gases in 2022 compared to the previous year - despite high fuel prices and 9-euro tickets. No wonder: despite all the alarm calls, the number of cars in Germany continues to rise. There are currently 48.8 million cars - and only one in 50 of them is an electric car.

Carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in Germany have also risen sharply recently - an indirect consequence of high gas prices and the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Massive amounts of energy also had to be exported, particularly to France, where half of all nuclear power plants were offline for repairs.

Internationally, many are much worse

Germany is therefore making progress on climate protection, albeit far too slowly. However, this does not put Germany in a bad position in an international comparison - because many countries are doing much less. This is because 139 countries worldwide are currently emitting even more greenhouse gases than in 2005 - some even twice as much, as the NewClimate Institute has determined.

One negative example is China: in 2005, the People's Republic released 5.8 billion tons of CO2, but by 2021 this figure had risen to 11.5 billion - a good 30 percent of all emissions worldwide. In terms of per capita emissions, China is now on a par with Germany - but still far behind countries such as the USA, Australia, Canada and Russia.

Climate expert Niclas Höhne from the New Climate Institute stated at a discussion panel in mid-November that there was no sign of a radical turnaround globally. He relied on new UN calculations: Even if all climate protection promises are kept - which many doubt - emissions in 2030 are likely to be only two percent below 2019 levels. In order to reach the 1.5 degree target for global warming, however, they would have to halve by then.

German performance "unsatisfactory" overall

The NewClimate Institute also regularly publishes the highly regarded "Climate Action Tracker" analysis tool, which regularly assesses the climate policy of more than 40 countries. Despite some progress, the experts rate Germany's performance as "unsatisfactory" overall: it appears that the German government has abandoned its own climate protection target for 2030.

For example, it is inappropriate that Germany is not implementing even simple measures such as a general speed limit on freeways. At the end of August, a Federal Government projection report coordinated by the Federal Environment Agency also revealed that the climate targets for 2030 and 2045 are "at risk" without additional measures - which does not really fit in with the government's self-praise.

The Climate Action Tracker emphasizes positively, also in an international comparison, that the German government has systematically removed obstacles to the expansion of renewable energies. In the case of solar energy, it is therefore on track to exceed its own expansion targets, but not yet in the case of wind energy.

Scholz wants to launch climate club

During the budget crisis of his coalition government, the Chancellor takes time out to attend the climate summit in Dubai. However, he will only be in the wealthy Gulf emirate for 20 hours - eight hours less than planned. Today, as soon as he lands, he will get his "Climate Club", one of his favorite projects, on track. Not for the first time.

The loose association of ambitious states in the fight against climate change was actually founded last year at the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria. Now comes the "Ful launch", the full introduction with more than 33 states. The club's main objective is the climate-friendly restructuring of industry. International cooperation makes sense in order to avoid competitive disadvantages.

New setback at COP28 of all times

On the first day of COP28 of all days, there was a new setback for the traffic light: the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court ordered the German government to launch immediate programs for more climate protection in transport and buildings. The judges thus upheld complaints by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the environmental association BUND. The plaintiffs demanded immediate action - for example with a speed limit. Fortunately for the beleaguered government, it was able to lodge an appeal - and postpone the effect of the far-reaching ruling for the time being.

Reason for shortening

Nevertheless, it is a damper on the chancellor's short trip to Dubai. Scholz will give his summit speech on Saturday morning and then it's back to Berlin. In view of the precarious budget situation, the political priorities are currently at home. "The Chancellor simply has a few more things to do, and it is therefore clear that reorganizations are possible," is what government circles are saying about the short-term shortening of the trip.