German coalition negotiators agree to scrap 2020 climate target – sources
By Paul Homewood
h/t Patsy Lacey
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s would-be coalition partners have agreed to drop plans to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, sources familiar with negotiations said on Monday — a potential embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Due to strong economic growth and higher-than-expected immigration, Germany is likely to miss its national emissions target for 2020 without any additional measures.
Negotiators for Merkel’s conservative bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) told Reuters the parties had agreed in exploratory talks on forming a government that the targeted cut in emissions could no longer be achieved by 2020.
Instead, they would aim to hit the 40 percent target in the early 2020s, the sources said, adding that both parties are still sticking to their goal of achieving a 55 percent cut in emissions by 2030.
The deal would represent something of a U-turn for Merkel, who has long presented herself as an advocate of climate protection policies on the international stage.
Under the Fifth Carbon Budget, the UK is legally obliged to cut GHGs from 1990 levels by 57% for the period 2028-32. This is already a greater cut than Germany’s pledge, which must now be considered as doubtful, despite this attempt to kick the can down the road.
Already, UK emissions are 45% below 1990, and government projections say that they will be 50% below by 2020.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
By making 1990 the start date, Germany also gets to take credit for closing all those old, inefficient factories in East Germany after unification.
However, they “are still sticking to their goal of achieving a 55 percent cut in emissions by 2030”. In other words. the lessons from past failures have not been learned and the madness will continue.
Or – let someone else worry about it!
“Already, UK emissions are 45% below 1990”
Mainly by exporting most production & waste to the far east & Africa
… don’t forget importing “green” energy via pelletized wood products from the southeastern U.S. and a crapload of hydro from Scandinavia.
We also have a smaller per capita footprint.
What happened to the claim that if the UK acted as an example the rest of the World would copy us? Because they respect us and all that. If even Germany with its greater wealth, work and Christian ethics can’t be bothered, I think it’s pretty well proven to be a dud claim.
We should stop acting the martyr for a noble cause. Will we? No.
Does that 45% apply to transport, heating, cooking etc. or is it only electrical generation.
My gas bill certainly hasn’t shrunk by 45%, that’s for sure.
Its all GHG emissions, though most cuts have so far come from the power sector
“cuts” no what is going out of the power station chimney has probably increased due to inefficiency of biofuels
But they argue this CO2 will be reabsorbed in future years when cut down trees replacements grow up.
‘both parties are still sticking to their goal of achieving a 55 percent cut in emissions by 2030’
Kicking the can down the road. They will have closed most if not all their nuclear plants by then so it will be much harder to keep the lights on than it is now, given their target.
How does the DRAX power station fit into this?
Wood chips imported, CO2 produced, but coal gone, therefore the previously emitted co2-from-coal gets subtracted from the CO2 budget and the new and improved CO2 from chips is unseen and uncounted.
I think that’s the new math.
+1000.
Emissions from shipping the wood from the US subtracted too, no doubt, and attributed to the evil Americans.
No, Drax still burns coal in one boiler set. They have plans to stop that given a big enough bribe from taxpayers – electricity users (via HMG)
And I keep hearing rumours from the workforce that they also feed a percentage of coal into the ‘woodchip’ furnaces to get the chip to burn properly.
A fact not publicised when they participate in the ‘XX hours’ on renewable fuels stunts.
Drax impossibly………….. can make steam come out of my ears = profits guaranteed thanks to enforced public subsidy – a steaming pile of chips indeed and thank the green meanies and the political goons for it.
So simple – so very simple – that only a child can do it!
(Tom Lehrer)
Merkel & Schulz: putting the coal into coalition?
Much of it of course is false accounting, not counting biomass emmisions, counting windmills and solar as producing zero emmisions when in fact it is dubious if they ever pay back the energy used in their lifecycle.
A gradual change to more efficient vehicles, lighting and improvements in housing stock may have brought about a small reduction in emmisions.
+100
Meanwhile, here comes a STRONG La Nina, perhaps:
Following the QUIET 2017, globally, for cyclones:
http://wx.graphics/tropical/
Just to break in for a moment. This morning Jan 10th, there is very little wind and little wind power. No sun so no solar power . CCGT and nuclear are moving into the red zone and coal (about to be permanently closed by this Govt) is at nearly 7GW. And it is going to get colder according to the BBC weather.
Does this Govt have any idea of what it is doing to ensure homes and businesses , schools and hospitals keep running given such forecasts?
http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/
No, it has no idea.
Unilever are helping by moving production of Colman’s mustard from Norwich to Europe. Every little helps. Leaving the Single Market will help as lots of production will be moved into the EU over the next 3 years to deal with certification and border control issues. Unreliable energy supply and increasing costs will help industries relocate.