German minister announces package of climate-protection measures

 

Apr 26, 2007 -- BBC Monitoring

 

Berlin: Before the end of 2007, the federal government wants to initiate a package of measures for implementing the EU climate protection resolutions, Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) [Social Democratic Party of Germany] announced in a government statement before the Bundestag on Thursday [26 April]. In Germany there is still a difference of 3 per cent between the objective of reducing greenhouse gases by 21 per cent by 2012, compared to 1990, and the actual figures. Last year, the country fell behind by 0.7 per cent, instead of moving further towards the 21-per cent goal, he stated.

Gabriel called on Germany to increase efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2020. While the country has set itself the goal of reducing emissions by 21 per cent in the 22 years between 1990 and 2012, in the following eight years, it is a matter of achieving a reduction by another 19 per cent, he said. The necessary reduction of emissions can be achieved in eight sectors, the SPD politician added. This includes the reduction of the electricity consumption by 11 per cent, a restructuring of the power plant sector, an increase of the share of renewable energies in the electricity supply and heating sector, as well as a doubling of the use of cogeneration, that is, the use of combined heat and power. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce energy consumption, for example, by refurbishing old buildings and increasing efficiency in the transport sector, he said. This is a "highly ambitious, yet feasible" package of measures, the minister stressed. At the same time, he pointed out that climate protection offered "enormous economic chances". Germany should set itself the goal of becoming the "leading economy of the world in terms of energy efficiency", he stated. Moreover, the environment minister defended the generation of electricity by coal-fired power plants. By 2012, new power plants with a total output of 12,000 megawatts are planned, he said. Since they will replace inefficient plants, this means a massive contribution to combating climate change, he stated. At the anniversary of the Chernobyl reactor disaster on 26 April 1986, Gabriel rejected the demand for an increased use of nuclear energy for reasons of climate protection.

Source: ddp news agency, Berlin, in German 0806 gmt 26 Apr 07

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