Merkel says climate cabinet to discuss how Germany can reach net-zero emissions by 2050
Germany鈥檚 climate cabinet will debate how the country could reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, said Chancellor Angela Merkel after weeks of pressure by several European countries for Germany to join an initiative to develop an ambitious long-term climate strategy.
鈥淚 suggest that we have a discussion in the climate cabinet on how we could achieve the target of becoming climate neutral by 2050,鈥� at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. They gathered for the tenth time in Berlin to prepare the next UN climate summit, which will take place in December in Chile.
Merkel defined climate neutrality as ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions that remain by 2050 are stored (CCS) or compensated, for example through afforestation.
鈥淐翱鈧� storage is very controversial in Germany and many people are worried,鈥� she said, adding that this is why she had suggested to hold a debate about climate neutrality in the cabinet.
German environment minister Svenja Schulze also acknowledged CCS could play a role in storing emissions from industrial processes or other unavoidable remaining emissions in 2050. 鈥淲e have to talk about carbon storage, as other countries do already,鈥� said Schulze at a press conference after the climate talks.
Not about 鈥渋f鈥�, but 鈥渉ow鈥�
Merkel made it clear that the climate cabinet's discussion 鈥渟hould not be about if we can achieve it [climate neutrality by 2050], but about how we can achieve it.鈥� If the cabinet finds a 鈥渟ound answer,鈥� Germany could join the initiative by several European countries. 鈥淚 would like us to be able to do that,鈥� added the chancellor.
Bei der Frage, wie Deutschland bis 2050 klimaneutral wird, geht es um das 鈥濿ie鈥� und nicht das 鈥濷b鈥�. Das Klimakabinett ist der richtige Ort, um zu diskutieren, wie wir dieses Ziel erreichen. - Kanzlerin beim 10. Petersberger Klimadialog.
鈥� Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher)
to a net zero emissions goal, such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The debate in several other countries is ongoing. In the UK, government advisers 鈥� the Committee on Climate Change 鈥� the country must immediately set a legally binding target to cut