Germany Moves Climate Neutrality Target from 2050 to 2045

A bill amending the Federal Climate Action Act was approved by the German Parliament.

The new law sets the deadline for climate neutrality to be 2045, and tightens the interim target for greenhouse gas emissions reduction from 55% to 65% in 2030 compared to 1990. A new interim target of 88% is set for 2040.

The change was needed after Germany’s highest court ruled in April that the government’s climate policies were inadequate. Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the amended law “creates intergenerational justice, greater planning security, and decisive climate protection that rebuilds and modernizes the economy rather than suffocating it.”