The Federal government of Germany has approved the draft Climate Protection Bill, which sets legally binding climate protection targets for every single economic sector, enshrining the country's target to become greenhouse-gas-neutral by 2050 in law. This corresponds to a 55% cut in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 compared with 1990. The draft, which removes a previous target of 70% cut by 2040, will now be sent to the Parliament to be adopted.
The draft prescribes how much CO2 each economic sector (energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture, waste and others) can emit each year between 2020 and 2030, with the the Federal Environmental Agency and an independent expert council monitoring real emissions. The Climate Protection Act would oblige the responsible ministries to take immediate action in the case sectoral emissions exceed the planned level. It also stipulates the goal of GHG neutrality by 2050, with the aim of preparing all industries for a fossil-free economy. In 2025, the federal government will have to set annual reduction in emissions for the period after 2030 to describe the GHG-neutrality roadmap by 2050 more precisely.