Climate change is happening, we can experience it in everyday life, but international and national politics are making no progress in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Germany’s goal to reduce its CO2-emissions by 25% by 2005 (to 1990 levels) is unlikely to be achieved. The longer-term goal to reduce emissions by 40% by the year 2020 (to 1990 levels), as agreed upon in the coalition treaty, is contingent upon EU reductions. In this regard, Germany’s climate politics can serve as an important example – in the EU and internationally.
Therefore, nine environmental and developmental political organizations (NGOs) have compiled/presented a joint catalogue of measures which, if implemented, would allow German climate politics to achieve its goal of a 40% reduction while simultaneously generating positive side-effects, like investment incentives for the construction- and traffic-sector, contributions to a healthy competition in energy markets, saving of subsidies detrimental to the climate, improving the efficiency of public transport and helping cut non-wage labor costs.
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