A poor assessment for the German government: The Council of Experts on Climate Change expects emissions to exceed the available budget, with new legislation likely to widen the gap further. The energy and buildings sectors are of particular concern.
By Malte Kreutzfeldt
The Council of Experts on Climate Change expects Germany to miss its targets under the European Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) by an even wider margin than previously anticipated. This could prove costly for a future German government.
By Lukas Bayer
For the first time, a structured nationwide framework will support peatland rewetting on a meaningful scale, writes one of Germany’s leading peatland researchers. The key for climate action is not setting land aside, but finding productive ways to use it.
By Franziska Tanneberger
Contrary to what was previously thought, German forests have not been a source of CO₂ – even in years of drought. The soil stored as much carbon as was released by the trees. However, this surprising new finding will have little impact on LULUCF data, climate-related complaints and the government’s Climate Action Program.
By Bernhard Pötter
In recent years, some have claimed that German forests failed to protect the climate, having shifted from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source. New research suggests that this assessment likely underestimates the contribution of soil.
By Bernhard Pötter
In den vergangenen Jahren hieß es, der deutsche Wald falle als Klimaschützer aus, weil er sich von einem CO₂-Speicher zu einer Kohlenstoff-Quelle gewandelt hat. Neue Forschungen zeigen, dass diese Rechnung wohl den Boden unterschätzt.
By Bernhard Pötter
Countries are overestimating possibilities of removing carbon from the atmosphere using land-based technologies and neglecting emissions reductions: This is a key finding of the new Land Gap Report, whose authors call for tax and trade reforms as well as debt relief.
By Alexandra Endres
