According to provisional figures, emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases in Germany fell slightly by 1.9 percent last year. The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) announced on Wednesday in Berlin that a good 15 million tons fewer greenhouse gases were released than in 2021. The figures are still provisional - final values ​​will not be known until the beginning of next year.

According to the Federal Environment Agency, emissions in Germany have fallen by 40.4 percent since 1990. But there is a clear increase in the energy sector. According to this, the sector has 10.7 million tons more greenhouse gases than in 2021. The reason for this is the savings in natural gas - instead, the industry is increasingly relying on hard coal and lignite.

Increased use of hard coal and lignite

"Despite the overall decline in energy use, especially in industry, there has been an increase in greenhouse gas emissions since the summer of 2022 due to the increased use of hard coal and lignite in the energy industry," said UBA President Dirk Messner. "The federal government will now have to counteract this with an immediate climate protection program - but the task must be mastered by society as a whole."

Emissions from traffic also increased. It was the only sector that simultaneously recorded an increase compared to the previous year and exceeded the permitted level of emissions for 2022. Despite the particularly high fuel prices and the 9-euro ticket in local public transport (ÖPNV), emissions from road traffic have risen again, explained the UBA.

The federal government's goal is to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality in Germany by 2045. There should then be a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and their reduction.

to the climate protection law