(de-news.net) – Germany can still meet its national climate target for 2040, according to a new assessment by the Umweltbundesamt (UBA), which outlines a feasible emissions pathway toward greenhouse‑gas neutrality by 2045. The agency argues that the pace of climate change leaves little room for delay and that political, economic, and societal decisions must now be aligned with long‑term decarbonization. While the interim goals for 2030 remain essential, the decade that follows will determine whether the country can reliably reach neutrality within two decades.
UBA President Dirk Messner stressed that the period from 2030 to 2040 will be decisive and that the necessary structural decisions must already be set in motion. He indicated that the current Federal Climate Protection Act will require further development after 2030 to guide all sectors into their respective reduction corridors. The study presents a roadmap showing how ambitious climate policy can be operationalized across sectors, provided that today’s interim targets and guardrails are oriented toward a fossil‑free economy. Messner also emphasized that climate policy must be designed with competitiveness in mind, arguing that Germany and Europe have the potential to lead in climate‑neutral industrial development.
Central to the proposed pathway is a rapid phase‑out of fossil fuels, a substantial expansion of renewable energy, and the continued electrification of industrial and transport processes. The transformation of the electricity grid—both in capacity and digitalization—is described as indispensable for managing rising electricity demand. The decarbonisation of district heating networks is presented as a key link between the energy and heating transitions. In parallel, the development of a green hydrogen economy is portrayed as a foundational element for hard‑to‑abate sectors such as heavy industry, chemicals, and parts of aviation and shipping. According to the UBA, this technological shift could strengthen innovation, engineering, and energy security across Europe, provided that policymakers create long‑term planning certainty for businesses and households.
Messner acknowledged that the transition represents a significant national effort but argued that it also opens the door to future‑proof prosperity and reduces the escalating costs of unchecked climate change. He underlined that broad societal support will be essential and that the transformation must not impose disproportionate burdens on vulnerable groups. At the same time, industry will require stable regulatory conditions to navigate this modernization process.
Because some emissions will remain unavoidable, the study highlights the need to expand carbon sinks substantially. The land‑use and land‑use change sector (LULUCF) is described as indispensable, given its capacity to store large quantities of CO₂ when forests, wetlands, and soils are managed sustainably. Measures such as reducing hardwood extraction, promoting climate‑resilient forest management, and increasing the use of long‑lived wood products are identified as crucial. The restoration of drained peatlands and the optimization of water levels in wetlands are presented as major contributors to emissions reduction. With the proposed Action Programme for Natural Climate Protection, the LULUCF sector could be placed on a credible trajectory toward its required sink performance, especially when combined with a moderate expansion of technical carbon‑removal methods.
Overall, the UBA report argues that Germany can achieve its 2040 climate target. This holds true provided that policy, infrastructure, and investment decisions in the coming years consistently steer the country toward a resilient, fossil‑free economy.
