Brandenburg

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Bayern

Sachsen-Anhalt

Schleswig-Holstein

Hessen

Nordrhein-Westfalen

Berlin

Thüringen

Niedersachsen

Saarland

Hamburg

Baden-Württemberg

Rheinland-Pfalz

Sachsen

Bremen

Germany

Compared to 2019, the number of cyclists killed in traffic will be reduced by 40% – despite significantly more cycling.



In 2019, 41% of Germans planned to cycle more in the future. This approval rating will rise to 60% by 2030.



The average length of trips made by bicycle will increase from 3.7 kilometres to six kilometres.

The number of trips will increase from about 120 in 2017 to 180 trips per person per year.

Limit the amount of electricy production from coal power plants to 30GW 2022, 17GW by 2030, and 0GW by 2038 at the latest

Limit the amount of electricy production from coal power plants to 15 GW of hard coal and 15GW of lignite by 2022, 8GW of hard coal and 9GW of lignite by 2030, 0GW of hard coal and 0GW of lignite by 2038 at the latest

climate neutral federal administration by 2030

The average of the annual emission balances of the respective target year and the three previous calendar years of the sector land use, land use change and forestry should be improved as follows:
1. to at least minus 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030,
2. to at least minus 35 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2040,
3. to at least minus 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2045.

reduce GHG emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, by 88% by 2040

increase the installed capacity of offshore wind energy 
installations to a total of 20 GW by 2030 and 40 GW by 2040

an installed capacity of biomass plants of 8,400 megawatts in 2030

an increase in the installed capacity of solar systems to a) 63 gigawatts in 2022, b) 73 gigawatts in 2024, c) 83 gigawatts in 2026, d) 95 gigawatts in 2028 
and e) 100 gigawatts in 2030

an increase in the installed capacity of onshore wind turbines 
a) 57 gigawatts in 2022, b) 62 gigawatts in 2024, c) 65 gigawatts 
in 2026, d) 68 gigawatts in 2028 and e) 71 gigawatts in 2030,

all electricity produced in a GHG neutral way by 2050

increase the share of renewable energy to 65% of gross electricity consumption by 2030

20GW of installed capacity by 2030 and 40 GW by 2040.

A reduction in primary energy consumption of 30%compared in 2030.&nbsp;

To increase the share of renewable energies in gross final energy consumption by 30% in 2030.&nbsp;

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % compared to 1990.

Emissions from waste to 5 Mt of Co2-eq by 2030

Emissions from agriculture at 68 Mt of CO2-eq by 2030

Emissions from transportation at 95 Mt of CO2-eq by 2030

Emissions from buildings at 70 Mt of CO2-eq by 2030

Emission from industry at 140 Mt of CO2-eq by 2030

CO2 equivalent emissions of the energy industry at 175Mt by 2030

Germany will reduce its total GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with a 1990 baseline

40% cut in GHG emissions by 2020 against a 1990 baseline

40% cut in GHG emissions by 2020; 55% by 2030; 70% by 2040; then 80-95% by 2050 - against a 1990 baseline

10% cut in electricity consumption, then 25% by 2020, 2050 against a 2008 baseline

14% final energy consumption for heat and cooling from renewables by 2020

2,800 MW renewable energy added annually by 2019, then 2,900 by 2020

Increase electricity from heat and power plants to 110 TWh by 2020, then 120 TWh by 2025

Increase heat and power plant electricity production by 110 TWh annually, then 120 TWh annually by 2020, 2025

6,500 MW increase in sea wind capacity by 2020, then 15,000MW by 2030

18% final energy from renewables by 2020, then 30% by 2030, 45% by 2040, 60% by 2050

40-45% increase in proportion renewable electricity in gross electricity consumption by 2025 (from 18% in 2020), then 55-60% in 2035, then at least 80% by 2050.

150 MW annual increase in biomass capacity, then 200 MW annual increase by 2019, 2022 against a 2017 baseline

2,500 MW annual incrase in solar capacity by N/A against a 2014 baseline

1 million electric vehicles in use by 2020; then 6 million by 2030

In 2024, NGO Deutsche Umwelthilfe filed a complaint with the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court against Adidas and its statement that it would be “climate neutral by 2050”. The plaintiff alleges that the company’s climate-related advertising constituted a misleading commercial practice under the Act Against Unfair Competition. 

The plaintiff contends that Adidas failed to disclose whether the target would be achieved through direct emissions reductions or carbon offsets. The plaintiff alleges that this ambiguity misleads consumers, as the Act Against Unfair Competition prohibits deceptive and unsubstantiated advertising. 

In April of 2025, the Court ruled in favor of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, concluding that Adidas's advertising claim was unlawful under the Act Against Unfair Competition. The Court emphasized that climate-related advertising statements must be substantiated and clearly communicated.


In 2021, Katjes, a fruit gum manufacturer, claimed that all products were created in a climate-neutral manner. The advertisement claimed that the company offset its emissions through projects with the company ClimatePartner. 

The Central Office for Combating Unfair Competition (Competition Association) challenged this advertisement as misleading because consumers would assume that the fruit gums were produced without any emissions, rather than through offsets. The case was considered by two lower civil courts, which sided with Katjes on the premise that consumers can be expected to understand the term "climate neutral."

On July 5, 2024, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) overruled the lower courts for the following reasons:
1. Advertising a product as climate neutral can always be significant in the purchasing decision of customers
2. Environmental claims made in advertising have an increased risk in misleading customers due to the high personal value that the environment has for consumers
3. When making environmental claims, companies need to clarify the content of terms indicated green features of a product within the advertisement itself
4. Reduction and compensation of emission are two possible ways of achieving "climate neutrality" but are not equally valid.
5. The ambiguous term "climate neutral" may only be used if the company explains how the neutrality is achieved. Explanations must include specific details of the measures as well as any offsetting measures the company intends to take.
6. Requiring the consumer to visit separate websites for these explanations is not sufficient. If the required explanation is not contained directly in the advertisement, the term "climate neutral" is deceptive and incorrect. 


The constitutional complaint to the German Federal Constitutional Court challenges the reformed German Federal Climate Protection Act. The NGO "Deutsche Umwelthilfe" and 11 other complainants aged 14 to 27 are the plaintiffs. The complainants argue, among other things, that the reform violates the principle of intergenerational freedom (as developed by the FCC in its 2021 Neubauer ruling) and infringes on the right to life and physical integrity. 

The constitutional complaint is one of three complaints filed by five German environmental organizations together with plaintiffs from all parts of society against the inadequate climate policy of the federal government and, in particular, the new Climate Protection Act (KSG). In addition to Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), Greenpeace, Germanwatch, the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), and the Solar Energy Promotion Association of Germany (SFV) have each filed a complaint. 

Already in 2021, DUH, along with some of the plaintiffs, achieved a landmark ruling in which the Federal Constitutional Court granted constitutional status to the right to climate protection. The core of the reform, against which the constitutional complaint is directed, consists in the fact that the federal government's climate protection measures only need to be measured against a cross-sectoral and multi-year total calculation. The government's actions are now based on a projection to comply with the cross-sectoral summed annual emission totals for only three periods: the period 2021-2030, the period 2031-2040, and the period 2041-2045. Only if the projection data show an exceedance of the summed annual emission totals for the decades 2021-2030 or 2031-2040 for two consecutive years does the federal government have to take additional climate protection measures (§ 8 (1) and (4) KSG). However, adjustments for the decade 2031-2040 are not to be made until after 2030.

The lawsuit is directed against Apple Distribution International Ltd. The company is accused of promoting three models of its Apple Watch as "CO2-neutral." The company states that the CO2 emissions caused by the production of these watches are offset by compensation projects. However, Apple largely leaves unclear which projects these are. Moreover, it is not evident whether the compensation projects will actually be operated for the entire period during which the emitted fossil carbon remains in the atmosphere.


Press release: https://www.duh.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung/deutsche-umwelthilfe-klagt-gegen-technologiekonzern-apple-wegen-irrefuehrender-werbung-fuer-co2-neutr/

Geography

Germany

Recent cases