Germany's emissions fell by record 10.1% in 2023: How are they cleaning up their act?

Germany's greenhouse gas emissions dropped by one-tenth last year, thanks to their investment in renewables and high energy prices which may have driven down demand.

Europe's biggest economy is trying to cut their emissions by 65 per cent, compared with 1990, by 2030. These latest stats put them on track to reach a cut of almost 64 per cent by that date.

“Germany is on course, for the first time,” Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also the economy and climate minister, says in a statement. “If we stick to our course, we will reach our 2030 climate targets.”

How is Germany reducing its emissions?

Germany is leading the way in Europe on converting its citizens and industries to a cleaner future.

In line with the EU's push to ban diesel cars by 2035, there were more than a million electric cars on Germany's roads in 2022, leading the European pack.

Worldwide solar rooftop installations soared by 49 per cent worldwide in 2022. Germany was sixth in the world for how much new solar it installed.

Germany is also looking for ways to store existing carbon. Just a few weeks ago, they revealed a "carbon management strategy" that involves storing carbon underground.

When questioned on the efficacy of carbon capture and storage, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said, “Time has run out,” Habeck said at a news conference in Berlin. “In the 2000s, you could perhaps say, ‘let’s wait and see what might happen'; today we see that we haven't found any technological solution for cement and other areas that ensures climate neutrality.”

The country is also turning to innovative solutions to generate energy from existing infrastructure with solar railways.

What is Germany's emissions cut target?

Germany aims to cut its emissions to net zero by 2045.

The country's environmental protection agency said that Germany emitted about 673 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, a decline of 76 million tons or 10.1%, compared with the previous year. It was the strongest decline since 1990.

Germany was one of the worst-performing major developed economies last year, weighed down by high energy prices, global economic weakness and interest rate hikes to fight inflation. The country is home to many energy-intensive companies, including in the chemical and metal industries.