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According to the findings of a recent research, Germany saw a reduction of 73 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions compared to the year 2022. The loss was a result of a significant decrease in the use of coal, in addition to a decrease in industries that required a lot of energy.
As Germany, the biggest economy in Europe, works to lessen its reliance on coal, a recent research has shown that for the year 2023, the country’s emissions of carbon dioxide were at their lowest level in around seven decades.
According to the findings of a research conducted by Agora Energiewende, Germany’s emissions of greenhouse gases from the previous year were 673 million tons, which is 73 million tons less than the emissions from 2022.
The think group claims that this is the lowest number “since the 1950s,” and it is certainly the lowest.
What led to the decrease in CO2 levels?
One of the factors that contributed to the decrease in emissions was the rise in the generation of renewable energy inside the country. For the first time ever, the proportion of total power production that came from renewable sources like wind and solar was more than fifty percent in the previous year.
Also contributing to the situation was a considerable decrease in the amount of energy generated by coal-fired power plants, which reached its lowest levels since the 1960s. It was projected by the think tank that the decrease in the usage of coal was responsible for a reduction of 46 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
By the year 2038, Germany intends to completely eliminate its reliance on coal, and Economy Minister Robert Habeck has even advocated for an earlier withdrawal by the year 2030. In spite of the fact that the eastern brown coal area has showed opposition, the western German states have reached a consensus over the early timetable.
Also having an effect on emissions was the fact that energy-intensive factories reduced their output as a consequence of rising gas costs, which occurred as a consequence of a transition away from the supply of Russian piped gas and toward the importation of liquefied natural gas.
The reduction in industrial emissions was twenty million tons.
“The consequences of the fossil energy crisis and the slowdown in the economy are particularly evident in the CO2 emissions of energy-intensive industries,” said Simon Muller, head of Agora, in a statement. “The economy remains in a state of slowdown.”
What kind of implications does this have for Germany’s climate goals?
Germany, which has the greatest economy in Europe, is also the leading CO2 emitter in the European Union (EU). According to Eurostat, the statistics office of the EU, Germany is responsible for almost one quarter of all emissions connected to energy.
Muller noted that the decrease in emissions from the sector did not represent a “sustainable development,” despite the fact that the data may imply improvement.
“The German economy is being weakened as a result of the crisis-related downturn in output. In the event that emissions are later moved to other countries, then there will be no progress made toward addressing the environment, he said.
According to the estimates provided by the think tank, just fifteen percent of the decrease implemented in 2023 could be considered “permanent emissions savings.”
Compared to the levels in 1990, Germany’s goal is to reduce its total emissions by 65% by the year 2030 and by 88% by the year 2040.
Muller said that in order for Germany to achieve its climate goals, it need a “barrage of investments” to modernize its economy and decrease the carbon footprint that is caused by heating up the country.
What steps should nations take in order to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide?
One of the most important ways to transition away from the burning of fossil fuels, which results in the release of greenhouse gases that are the primary cause of global warming, is to increase the generation of renewable energy.
In Turkey, there are two wind turbines, and a city can be seen in the backdrop.In Turkey, there are two wind turbines, and a city can be seen in the backdrop.
According to Muller, Germany is increasing its progress toward its goal of generating 80 percent of its power from wind and solar by the year 2030.
On the other hand, in order to accomplish the objective by the year 2022, the Federal Environment Agency of Germany would have needed to almost treble its capacity for renewable energy.
Furthermore, renewable energy sources continue to constitute a very small proportion of Germany’s total energy mix. In 2022, they accounted for just twenty percent, which is much lower than the average of twenty-two percent for the European Union and far lower than nations such as Sweden and Norway, where wind and solar power contribute up to three quarters of the energy.
More than one hundred nations, including the European Union and the United States of America, which is the world’s second largest emitter of carbon dioxide, have committed to increasing the amount of energy that comes from renewable sources by three times by the year 2030 according to a vow made by global leaders. A minimum of 42.5% of the energy that is produced by member states is expected to be generated by renewable sources by the European Union by the year 2030.
However, in order for the world to continue on its current trajectory toward maintaining temperatures below the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius that was established in the Paris Agreement of 2015, there will need to be a major reduction in emissions on a worldwide scale.
Global average temperatures are expected to climb by between 2.5 and 2.9 degrees Celsius (4.5 to 5.22 Fahrenheit) beyond pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, according to a study that was issued by the United Nations in December. This is in accordance with the existing measures that have been pledged by mankind.
For the purpose of preventing a rise in temperature and avoiding even more disastrous severe weather occurrences, researchers have calculated that emissions from all greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, would need to decrease by 42 percent by the year 2030.
