According to a study published on Tuesday 17 January by WWF Germany, Germany will only meet its Paris climate agreement commitments if it begins to gradually phase-out coal by 2019 at the latest and totally eliminate this fuel from its energy system by the end of 2035.
Despite its commitment to renewable energies, Germany is still one of the most polluting countries in Europe, given that six of the most polluting coal plants are on German territory, as the study on the health cost of 30 of the dirtiest coal plants in Europe demonstrated (see EUROPE 11587).
This new study, “Germany’s Electric Future” demonstrates how this country could more appropriately contribute to tackling climate change without suffering energy shortages.
Instead of tackling the CO2 emission reduction targets over a certain period, the analysis is based on the notion of a “carbon budget”. This carbon budget uses the Paris agreement as a comparison that seeks to maintain average global warning temperatures to well below 2°C, while still having the opportunity to emit a further 890 gigatons of emissions at a global level. The German electricity sector contributes around 40% of CO2 emissions in the country and the country only has a budget left of four gigatons. All kinds protection measures and energy policies compatible with the 2°C target advocated by the WWF are expected to be based on the remaining German carbon budget.
The WWF model highlights a transition towards the phasing out of coal, which will enable this country to assume its fair share of the burden in the global struggle against climate change, while ensuring that this objective remains economically feasible. This gradual phasing out is expected to be accompanied by a massive expansion in renewable energies.
In a press release, Imke Lübbeke, Head of Unit EU Climate and Energy Policy at the WWF’s European office, explained, “Germany should lead the EU away from coal and towards 100% renewables. Phasing out coal power, alongside dedicated support for mining regions affected by this transition, will relieve EU countries of massive health and social costs and help avoid the worst impacts of climate change”.
The summary in English is accessible at: http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/studiestromsystemkohleausstieg2035_zusammenfassung_final_en.pdf. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)