Hessen

Brandenburg

Schleswig-Holstein

Hamburg

Berlin

Saarland

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Baden-Württemberg

Sachsen

Niedersachsen

Bayern

Sachsen-Anhalt

Nordrhein-Westfalen

Bremen

Thüringen

Rheinland-Pfalz

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

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On May 5, 2026, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), an environmental NGO, filed a lawsuit against the Federal Republic of Germany before the Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg. DUH challenges the adequacy of the federal government's Climate Protection Programme 2026 (Klimaschutzprogramm 2026, KSP 2026). The German government adopted the KSP 2026 on March 25, 2026, pursuant to § 9 of the Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG).

DUH argues that the KSP 2026 fails to include the measures necessary to achieve Germany's legally binding greenhouse gas reduction targets of at least 65% by 2030 and at least 88% by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, as required by § 3(1) KSG, and to comply with the annual total emission budgets for the years 2031–2040 set out in Annexes 2 and 3 of the KSG.

The plaintiff contends that the KSP 2026 is unlawful for several reasons. 
First, the government based the program on outdated 2025 projection data, even though updated 2026 projection data published by the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) on March 14, 2026 — eleven days before the program's adoption — showed larger emission gaps, projecting only a 62.6% reduction by 2030 (against the required 65%) and approximately 80% by 2040 (against the required 88%). 
Second, the program relies on unrealistic assumptions and contains methodological deficiencies, including inconsistent emission reduction figures across different official documents and the use of key measures as "gap fillers" without plausible substantiation. 
Third, the Expert Council on Climate Issues (Expertenrat für Klimafragen), which is legally required to review the program, was unable to conduct a consistent and complete assessment because the government submitted the program in four installments with major last-minute changes affecting approximately 70% of the projected emission reduction impact. 
Fourth, a range of individual measures — including the conversion of gas power plants to green hydrogen, offshore wind cooperation projects, increased onshore wind auction volumes, circular economy targets in industry, and the agriculture protein strategy — are based on measures lacking legal underpinning, realistic financing, or technical feasibility.

This case is a continuation of DUH's broader climate litigation strategy against the German federal government. Prior rulings by the same court in May 2024 and the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) in January 2026 already confirmed that the government's previous climate program (KSP 2023) was unlawful and ordered it to adopt adequate supplementary measures. DUH argues the federal government has knowingly adopted another unlawful program, necessitating renewed judicial intervention.

On March 23, 2026, the Sixth Civil Panel of the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) issued judgments in cases VI ZR 334/23 and VI ZR 365/23, holding that private individuals lack a legal basis to compel automobile manufacturers to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles prior to the timeline established under applicable European Union law. The court affirmed lower court decisions dismissing the claims.

The plaintiffs, executive directors of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (Environmental Action Germany), brought actions against major automobile manufacturers, including Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Mercedes-Benz AG. 

The defendants were undisputedly in compliance with all applicable statutory climate regulations. However, the plaintiffs argued that, based on the German Federal Constitutional Court’s climate decision, private corporations must adhere to a limited CO₂ “budget” derived from the Paris Agreement. They contended that excessive emissions by the defendants would indirectly infringe their fundamental rights—particularly the intertemporal dimension of the general right of personality under Article 2 of the Basic Law—by necessitating stricter future climate measures that could constrain their freedoms.

The plaintiffs sought injunctive relief to prohibit the defendants from marketing combustion-engine vehicles after October 31, 2030, and, under certain emissions thresholds, even earlier.

The cases were dismissed by lower courts. The case against BMW was dismissed in the Munich Regional Court I on February 7, 2023, a decision affirmed in the Munich Higher Regional Court on October 12, 2023. The case against Mercedes-Benz was dismissed in the Stuttgart Regional Court on September 13, 2022, a decision affirmed in the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court on November 8, 2023. 

On March 23, 2026, the Federal Court of Justice again affirmed the lower courts' decisions, holding that the plaintiffs are not entitled to injunctive relief. No actionable interference with a protected right was established for below reasons.

First, the court found no present or anticipatory violation of the plaintiffs’ general right of personality. The alleged “advance interference” theory failed because no legally binding, actor-specific CO₂ budget exists. While general emission limits can be derived from international and national frameworks, these do not impose individualized obligations on specific private entities or sectors.

Second, the court distinguished the case from the Federal Constitutional Court’s prior climate ruling, emphasizing that responsibility for allocating emission reductions lies with the legislature, not private actors.

Third, the court rejected tort liability. Any future restrictive climate legislation cannot be legally attributed to the defendants’ conduct. The manufacturers operate within the framework established by EU law—specifically Regulation (EU) 2019/631, as amended—which sets binding emissions targets and timelines, including a full phase-out target for new passenger car emissions by 2035. Compliance with this regulatory regime precludes additional judicially imposed obligations.

Finally, the court underscored the constitutional separation of powers. The balancing of climate protection against economic, social, and individual interests—particularly under Article 20a of the Basic Law—is a matter for the legislature, which retains broad discretion. Courts are not authorized to derive specific emission limits or reduction pathways from open-ended constitutional provisions.

The ruling confirms that there is no judicially enforceable right to an accelerated phase-out of combustion-engine vehicles beyond the timelines set by EU legislation. Responsibility for determining and implementing climate policy measures remains with the legislative branch.

On Dec. 9, 2025, environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH; Environmental Action Germany) filed a lawsuit against the State of Berlin before the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg. The case concerns the Berlin Senate's alleged failure to meet its statutory obligation to update the Berliner Energie-und Klimaschutzprogramm (BEK, or Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme), Berlin's central climate action program, by 2024. As of the date of filing, the Senate had not presented even a draft of the updated program, and had reduced funding for climate protection measures. According to monitoring data from the Berlin Climate Protection Council, Berlin's GHG emissions declined by approximately 200,000 metric tons per year between 2020 and 2023. DUH submits that this pace of reduction would need to more than triple to meet the legally established target of a 70% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. DUH requests the court to order the Senate to adopt a legally compliant updated BEK.

The German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) filed a climate lawsuit against the state of Baden-Württemberg at the Administrative Court in Mannheim on June 10, 2025. According to Baden-Württemberg's own climate projection report, the state will miss its legally mandated 2030 climate target by 6 million tons of CO2, representing 17 percent above the allowed limit of 36 million tons. The state is also projected to fall short of its 2040 climate neutrality goal by over 21 million tons of CO2, with the transport sector showing the largest gap at 50 percent above its 2030 target.
The state's 2023 Climate Protection Act requires the government to adopt an immediate climate protection program when targets are missed. DUH set a deadline of June 8, 2025, for the state government under Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann to present such a program, but this deadline passed without action. The lawsuit seeks to compel the state to implement additional climate measures, including accelerated energy-efficient renovation of schools and kindergartens, truck tolls on state roads, speed limits on highways, and preservation of Stuttgart's main train station configuration and railway connections.
In November 2022, DUH previously obtained judgment requiring Baden-Württemberg to present a climate protection concept, though the state government subsequently amended the climate law in February 2023. DUH now alleges that the state government is violating the revised law as well.

Geography

Germany

Recent cases