Chancellery chief: Germany can still meet national 2020 goals
The chief of the German chancellery, Peter Altmaier, says Germany can still meet its own national 2020 climate protection goals despite increased emissions in 2016. He told public TV channel ZDF鈥檚 show 鈥淏erlin direkt鈥� that he would 鈥�not give up on the goal鈥� of outperforming common European emissions reduction targets in Germany by 2020. Altmaier said Germany would surely meet common European goals but fulfilling national aims was more difficult because of their greater ambition. Recent emissions increases were linked to Germany鈥檚 economic growth, which at the same time had produced 鈥渕illions of new jobs鈥� and greater export volumes. Germany already 鈥渄emands a lot from its citizens鈥� in the form of greater power costs to advance renewables expansion. The country has to remain an industrial location despite its commitment to climate protection, Altmaier added.
See the video in German (availability depending on your location).
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 article Germany 鈥渟tands by existing climate targets鈥� and the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and climate change.