Transport & Manufacturing Sector Emissions In Germany Continues To Rise

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Transport and manufacturing sector emissions in Germany are continuing to rise by the year, despite recent reductions in energy sector emissions, data released by a government agency there has revealed.

Although Germany’s total greenhouse gas emissions officially fell by around 0.5% in 2017, that was entirely due to an energy sector emissions reduction of 4.1%, while emissions in other parts of the German system rose. Transport sector emissions in Germany rose 2.3% in 2017, and emissions in the manufacturing sectors (steel, chemicals, refineries, etc.) rose as well.

The fall in energy sector emissions was mostly due to the closure of old coal-fired power plants, reportedly.

“While energy-related emissions fell significantly, those in transport and the manufacturing industry went up,” explained Germany’s Umweltbundesamt (UBA) in a public statement. “Therefore, additional measures are necessary to set Germany on a course toward its targets again.”

Reuters provides more:

“The energy industry, which is undergoing a staged transition to renewable technologies, saw its emissions fall by 4.1%, or 13.7 million tonnes, in 2017, UBA said. But transport sector emissions rose by 2.3% to 170.6 million tonnes, as car ownership expanded and the booming economy meant more heavy vehicles were on the road.

“…Germany has already had to abandon a self-imposed target of cutting emissions by 40% by the year 2020 from 1990 levels. The current reduction is 27.7% with just two years to go. Instead, government is now aiming for a 55% cut by 2030 and has promised to bring in a climate law in 2019 that will demand more from lagging sectors.”

Altogether, official greenhouse gas emissions figures in Germany in 2017 totaled 904.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is only slightly below the 2016 figures of 909.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Of the 2017 figure, 797.3 million tonnes relate to a carbon dioxide, with the remainder pertaining to other greenhouse gases.

Further details will reportedly be published in May.

As we noted in a recent article, global greenhouse gas emissions actually rose slightly in 2017, representing a possible restart of the upward trend which had stalled the last few years (at least as regarding official figures). This has been due to the simple reality that most people with the means to do so live lives of profligate consumption and waste.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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