Germany is on track to widely miss its EU obligations to reduce CO2 emissions, even if the EU does not follow through plans to step up its ambitions in the fight against climate change, according to calculations by think tank Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut), quoted by Clean Energy Wire.

In sectors that are not covered by the Emissions Trading System (ETS) such as buildings, transport and agriculture, Germany is on course to lower emissions by 28 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 with existing legislation, falling short of its effort-sharing target of minus 38 percent.

Germany’s effort-sharing emissions were above target for the fourth year in a row in 2019 despite a significant emissions drop. To reach the EU’s 2030 effort-sharing regulation targets, “considerable emissions reductions are needed in transport and buildings in particular,” the institute said.