Is it possible to reduce our emissions?

Even though doing so certainly poses a great challenge, it is within our power to rapidly and drastically curb greenhouse gas emissions, as numerous studies and also practical experience show. Many of the technologies needed for this exist, and some of them are already financially competitive within the current political structures.¹

Several countries have cut their greenhouse gas emissions more than Germany in recent years. Denmark and the United Kingdom, for example, succeeded in reducing emissions by more than a third between 2005 and 2017. Many EU countries are also moving faster than Germany in phasing out coal-fired power plants: Belgium and Sweden have already done so, for example, and the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Italy plan to follow suit by 2025. According to the EU Commission, eight member states in total already have plans to phase out coal-powered electricity before 2030.²