Germany pledges to phase out fossil fuels by 2045 in new roadmap
Berlin issues its first explicit fossil-fuel phaseout target, backed by renewables and coal-exit goals, but campaigners say the economy ministry is undercutting it.
What to know
- Germany's roadmap is the first to explicitly commit to 'transitioning away' from fossil fuels, rather than just carbon neutrality, targeting full phaseout by 2045.
- Key targets include 80% renewable electricity by 2030, a possible earlier 2035 coal exit (from a prior 2038 goal), and a 30% methane emissions cut by 2030.
- Germany joins France and the Netherlands as the third major economy to issue such a roadmap since countries pledged to do so at an April conference in Colombia.
- Campaigners welcome the explicit goal but say Germany's economy ministry is simultaneously pushing for more gas use, and that the roadmap must be backed by faster electrification.
This is encouraging, positive climate news worth sharing.
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“Some good #climate news to cheer you up on a Wednesday afternoon”
markstoll.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The pledge is welcome but underwhelming given how slowly Germany has actually moved on renewables.
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“Not good enough, but positive climate news nonetheless. That Germany still only produces 55% of electricity via renewables is dumbfounding. How far behind were they when Ukraine was invaded? It's been 4.5 years, so slow to fix their…”
amici@fribygda.no · Mastodon ↗
“This year has shown in the starkest terms that fossil-fuel dependence is a risk for everyone as it exposes households and businesses in Germany and around the world to price shocks, volatility and geopolitical insecurity.”
Andreas Sieber, Head of global political strategy, 350.org · The Guardian ↗ · Sep 22
German government policymakerAndreas Sieber Head of global political strategy, 350.orgJennifer Morgan Germany's former climate envoy
Alice Weidel Co-leader, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Online reaction splits between welcome and skepticism
Social posts sharing the news ranged from calling it good climate news to questioning why Germany's renewable share remains at only 55% years after committing to reduce fossil-fuel dependence.
“Not good enough, but positive climate news nonetheless. That Germany still only produces 55% of electricity via renewables is dumbfounding.”
— amici@fribygda.no -
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Germany pledges to phase out fossil fuels for the first time with a target of 2045 www.theguardian.com/environment/... via @theguardian.com @fionaharvey.bsky.social
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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# Germany Following France and the Netherlands, Germany has now also presented a roadmap. Environment Minister Schneider explains that the goal is to phase out the use of fossil fuels by 2045. Climate action is once again a higher priority on the agenda at UNGA81 https:// table.media/en/climate/talk-of…
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Some good #climate news to cheer you up on a Wednesday afternoon: @theguardian.com #fossilfuels #climatechange #environment
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Climate campaigners call the plan a shift but flag gaps
350.org's Andreas Sieber welcomed the explicit phaseout goal but warned Germany's economy ministry was pushing for more gas use; former climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said the roadmap must be paired with faster electrification of transport and heating.
“Accelerating the shift from coal, oil and gas to clean renewables will bolster energy independence and insulate consumers from price shocks at a critical moment. However, a roadmap is only the starting line.”
— Jennifer Morgan -
background
Germany publishes roadmap pledging fossil-fuel phaseout by 2045 — The German government's roadmap sets an explicit goal of 'transitioning away' from fossil fuels for the first time, raising renewables to 80% of electricity by 2030 with 12GW more onshore wind and 215GW of solar, reaffirming a coal exit by 2038 (potentially 2035), and targeting a 30% methane cut by 2030.
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background
Colombia conference pushes nations to draft phaseout plans — A major international conference in Colombia in April saw participating countries promise to set out plans for a full phaseout of fossil fuels; France and the Netherlands later published roadmaps ahead of Germany.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by The Guardian, 18h ago · also Guardian Environment, Guardian
1 more headline
- Germany commits for first time to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045 Mastodon · 18h ago
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first by Deutsche Welle EN, 9h ago · also Euronews
1 more headline
and 1 smaller piece
What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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Germany has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, aiming for 80% renewable energy by 2030 and a potential earlier coal exit date of 2035. Germany pledges to phase out f...