Germany is Europe’s largest and the world’s 6th greatest single emitter of CO2. In the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, some of the the world’s industrialized nations committed to reducing their emissions of six greenhouse gases by at least 5% over 1990 levels within the period 2008-2012. The EU was a signatory to Kyoto and the member states of the European Union agreed on how to divide up their share of emissions reductions amongst themselves. Under this agreement, Germany’s emissions reductions target was 21%.
From 1994 through 2006, Germany cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 19%, chiefly as a result of modernizing energy sources in the new Länder (Eastern Germany), but measures implemented as part of the German government’s climate protection programs were important as well. At this point Germany expects to fulfil its 21% emissions reductions target within the 2008-2012 commitment period without needing to adopt any additional measures.
Be the first to comment