Germany is the fourth-largest Member State of the European Union in land area (357 thousand square km) and the largest by population (82.3 million). It is also Europe's largest economy, and thus an influential actor in the political process of the European Union and in international negotiations. Following two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century, the country emerged from military occupation by the Allied powers and a traumatic phase of separation in two states during the Cold War with reunification in 1990. While this has increased its political and economic standing, it has ironically led to a dramatic decrease in greenhouse gas emissions as aging and energy-intensive industrial facilities in the former East were closed down or modernised (“wall-fall profits”).
German greenhouse gas emissions currently amount to roughly 1 Gt CO2eq. Overall, the emission profile is typical of a highly industrialised country. Carbon dioxide (CO2) forms the largest fraction at 87.6 %, of which most originates from stationary and mobile combustion processes. Methane (CH4) emitted from animal husbandry, fuel distribution and landfills is responsible for 4.6%, nitrous oxide (N2O), which is mostly emitted by agriculture, industry and transport 6.3% of greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) contribute 1.6% of aggregate emissions.
Regarding a breakdown of emitting sectors, roughly 80% of emissions originate from fossil fuel combustion in the energy and transport sector. Industrial processes contribute almost 11%, and agriculture a fairly constant 6%. Waste management, finally, is responsible for a decreasing fraction, currently at 1.4%. Germany agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an ambitious 21% under the burden sharing agreement (BSA), which distributes Europe’s Kyoto commitments among the Member States. Altogether, German emissions already fell by 18.4% between 1990 and 2006, not counting land use, land use change, and forestry. Around 50% of these reductions are estimated to be the “wall-fall profits” mentioned above. The remainder is largely due to a diverse mix of national, regional, and local policies, notably in the energy sector.
Important examples are an ecological tax reform, which increased taxes on fossil fuels and introduced a new tax on electricity, and legislation on the promotion of renewable energy sources, guaranteeing feed-in tariffs for electricity generated from wind, hydroelectric, or solar photovoltaic over a specified period of time. The German approach to promoting renewable energy sources is considered one of the most successful models in the world, and has been imitated by several dozen countries.
On 5 December 2007, the federal government adopted a comprehensive report on the implementation of a new integrated energy and climate package passed by the cabinet in Meseberg earlier that year. An important aspect of this package is the unilateral and unconditional commitment to reduce German greenhouse gas emissions by 40% until 2020 relative to 1990 levels. Achievement of this goal will be ensured by a package of 14 statutes and ordinances. This places Germany in one of the top tiers among industrialised countries regarding the ambition of its domestic climate policy.
Institutionally, Germany is organised as a federal state, with legislative powers distributed between the central (federal) legislator and the federate states (Länder). Enforcement and implementation largely rest with the federate states and regional and local administration. On the federal plane, responsibility for climate policy and international climate negotiations rests with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, although other government agencies also play an important role.
See other German stakeholders.
Greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting as well as scientific advice and assessments are performed by the Federal Environment Agency, or Umweltbundesamt. Implementation of the European emissions trading scheme, finally, is supervised by the German Emissions Trading Authority, or Deutsche Emissionshandelsstelle, a unit of the Federal Environment Agency.
At the European level, Germany has got 99 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Directly involved in environmental issues are 13 MEPs: 10 German MEPs are members of the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament and 7 MEPs are members of the CLIM Committee. Some MEPs are members of both Committees.