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Germany on track to reach 2030 targets, environment agency says

Germany's greenhouse emissions fell by around 10% in 2023, the greatest drop considering that the 1990 reunification, the country reported on Friday as its economy diminished while green power production rose.

Europe's biggest economy diminished by 0.3% last year due high energy prices and weak foreign need for its exports.

Germany has been the engine of Europe's economy for years in part due to low-cost supplies of Russian gas, which Berlin stopped importing following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Germany's commercial production emissions fell by 7.7%, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) stated.

Commercial output fell by only 1.2% in 2015, regardless of bigger drops in energy-intensive industries such as chemicals and metals, where production fell by practically 8% and 5.3%. respectively, data by the VCI and BDI associations revealed.

When asked if the drop in emissions was because of a weaker. economy instead of a sustainable decrease, Climate Action and. Economy Minister Robert Habeck stated that, while 2023 had been an. remarkable year and the federal government expected a total. financial healing, further planned measures would help maintain. the progress made.

UBA stated Germany was on track to meet its 2030 environment. targets after emissions was up to 673 million lots last year,. validating initial projections.

Germany aims to cut emissions by 65% by 2030 compared with. 1990 and ending up being carbon neutral by 2045. It is currently at. around 46%.

Berlin hopes emissions will fall further with business. motivated by just recently introduced environment security agreements. that compensated for additional costs of green production. In addition, the government counts on companies moving from. fossil fuel to electricity to run their factories and CO2. emissions pricing to drive industry toward environment neutrality,. Dirk Messner, UBA president told a press conference on Friday.

In the energy sector, power plant emissions fell. substantially due to increasing power production from renewables,. which covered nearly 52% of electricity intake in 2015. A rise in imported electricity, including from French nuclear. reactors, and a 4% decrease in overall energy usage likewise. helped cut emissions. In the emissions in the structures sector, mainly heating,. fell by more than 7% due to a moderate winter. Last year, Germany. passed an expense on phasing out oil and gas heating unit, a step. to help cut emissions even more.

(source: Reuters)