Off course on emissions reductions
Germany is way off course in fulfilling its ambitious target of a 25% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2005 compared with the 1990 figure. Even Chancellor Gerhard Schröder now admits that "the contradiction between word and deed is nowhere as crass as in the field of environmental protection." By the end of 1999, CO2 emissions were down by 15.5% compared with 1990, reports the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). It points out that recent forecasts by Prognos and the energy institute at the University of Cologne both expect CO2 emissions to be cut by just 15.4% in 2005 -- without taking into account potential developments in the biomass sector -- which implies negative progress over the next five years. The DIW warns that a long term climate strategy for energy supply is needed.
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