Germany’s emissions fall by most in 30 years

Bloomberg

Germany’s greenhouse-gas emissions fell by the most since 1990 last year as its exit from coal started to hit and
the pandemic reduced transportation.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is looking to put Europe’s biggest economy at the forefront of the fight against climate change, calling for the development of a global market for green hydrogen as a two-day energy transition conference kicked off in Berlin.
Germany’s greenhouse-gas emissions declined by 8.7% last year, the biggest drop since the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, according to the country’s Environment Agency.

Lawmakers and industry executives from around the world have gathered virtually for government-backed German
Energy Transition Dialogue 2021.
Politicians repeatedly hit the theme that hydrogen produced by renewable energy will be crucial to replace fossil fuels in industry and transport.
Key speakers include U.S. special envoy on climate John Kerry, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
Germany’s greenhouse-gas emissions declined by 8.7% last year, the biggest drop since the reunification of East and West Germany in 1990, according to the country’s Environment Agency.
Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the decline was partly due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, especially on the transport sector, while its planned exit from coal also contributed. Emissions have fallen 41% since 1990, the agency said.
The European Union must step up emissions reductions now to meet strict 2030 climate goal, said European Commission President von der Leyen.
To achieve that, the Commission will propose in June a package to strengthen the bloc’s carbon market by extending it to shipping. Expansion into transport and heating is also being considered. The EU’s regulatory arm will also put forward a plan to boost renewable energy and efficiency, and invest in electric-car charging infrastructure.
“Finally, we want to take green financing to a next level because to achieve our 2030 goal we need to boost green investment,” von der Leyen said. “Our EU green bonds standard and the EU taxonomy will lead the way.”
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for close global cooperation on hydrogen and said Europe’s biggest economy will be pushing to create an international market for the fuel.
Germany will expand dialog with fossil-fuel producers such as Russia and Saudi Arabia to “encourage them to adapt their business models in time.” The country is working on setting up offices in Moscow and Riyadh among other cities to coordinate the hydrogen push, Maas said in a speech.
“A future global hydrogen market must be open to everyone and that will only happen through binding international agreements,” Maas said. “This means looking at, for example, how we want to define green hydrogen and examining issues such as market access and connectivity.”
Construction of large hydrogen pilots are underway in Chile, Morocco and Australia using renewable energy, Maas said. Germany can’t produce enough hydrogen on its own to meet its transition goals so it’ll need to import the fuel from other countries.
Maas earlier called for countries to seize the momentum from the U.S. rejoining the Paris climate accord and push forward with the transition to cleaner energy.
“New dynamics will present themselves that will also create tension,” he said in an emailed statement. “That is why we need forward-looking external energy policies with which we can promote cooperation and avoid conflict.”
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said the energy transition and climate protection can be motors for “innovation and lasting growth” as long as countries adopt an “intelligent” approach and there is close international coordination.