Germany composing plan to meet ambitious climate targets

Germany will have to come up with a bold and tight plan to meet its emissions targets. Photo / Getty Images

German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks says the country will be announcing its climate action plan for 2050 by the middle of this year, in response to the historic Paris Climate Agreement.

The German government is aiming to compose a plan to eliminate coal-fired power generation completely by 2050, setting a great example on the international stage.

Germany has seen pronounced renewable energy developments over the past few years, which has been met with praise. However, the confirmation of the end of coal power is absolutely essential should the nation want to reach its ambitious climate targets, set for itself in Paris.

"It is completely clear that we need to exit fossil energy sources by the middle of the century," said Minister Hendricks.

The country drew over a quarter of its electricity from renewable sources in 2014 - a notable achievement for such a large economy.

However, the end of nuclear power generation has resulted in increased use of brown coal, which is cheaper to use than renewable gas plants. 44 percent of power in 2014 was generated using coal.

Germany will have to come up with a bold and tight plan to meet its target of reducing greenhouse emissions by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2020. The long term goal is even bigger - 80-95 percent reduction by 2050.

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