January 7, 2025 – Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a report by climate think tank Agora. The decline is attributed to economic weakness, mild weather, and successful climate policies.
Emissions in Europe’s largest economy dropped to 656 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, marking a 48% decrease from 1990 levels and undershooting the annual cap by more than 5%. Germany aims to reduce overall emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990, and the 2024 emissions were 36 million tons lower than the annual cap stipulated by the Climate Protection Act.
The report noted that Germany’s economic downturn has led to reduced industrial emissions, even as the transport and construction sectors have made limited progress in implementing climate protection policies. However, recent measures in the electricity sector, such as increased use of renewable energy, are having a significant impact. Record wind and solar energy production covered around 55% of consumption in 2024.
Agora director Simon Mueller highlighted that the growing share of renewables in electricity consumption demonstrates the effectiveness of consistent climate policy implementation.