Germany must become climate-neutral by 2038, says government advisory council

(EurActiv, 15 May 2020) The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) presented on Thursday (14 May) its report on the state of the country’s environmental policy. With Germany’s carbon budget now almost exhausted, researchers urge stronger climate action in all areas. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Every four years, the SRU presents a comprehensive report on the state of the country’s environment and has been doing so for almost 50 years.

Yesterday, it did it again: on almost 560 pages, the seven climate researchers of the SRU have done an all-round job which doesn’t paint a particularly good picture for Germany.

Germany is not on track with 20 of the 25 environmental goals of its own sustainability strategy, the report writes. And binding targets when it comes to water protection, air quality and climate protection are regularly missed.

“So far, the failures are too often simply accepted and targets are postponed into the future,” the researchers noted.

Germany’s environment minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) seemed open to criticism. In a video message, she said the growing warnings by environmental researchers since 30 years risked becoming an “oppressive ritual”.

External link

EurActiv, 15 May 2020: Germany must become climate-neutral by 2038, says government advisory council