Germany aims for net zero emissions by 2045, says Merkel

BERLIN (AA) - Germany aims to reach net zero emissions by 2045, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday.

Speaking at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Merkel underlined that Germany, like other developed nations, bears a special responsibility for climate protection.

“This is why we have set tougher emissions reduction targets. We want to cut emissions to 65% below the 1990 levels by 2030. And we want to be climate neutral by 2045,” she said.

Merkel welcomed the agreement reached during the Rome G20 summit on Sunday which reaffirmed the goal of reaching net zero “by or around mid-century.” But she also called on world leaders to make binding commitments during the COP26 conference in Glasgow for climate protection.

“We all know that the impact of climate change is devastating. We must and we can implement the Paris climate agreement, and we should make sure that this will happen by mid-century, as agreed during the G20, not over the course of the century,” she said.

Merkel also underlined that her country will boost its contributions to international climate financing to €6 billion by 2025.

The COP26 meeting will continue through Nov. 12 with numerous panels, meetings, and side events, all seeking remedies to reduce the levels of global warming by keeping it to 1.5C.

More than 25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries are at the Glasgow conference, where the first two days will see sessions attended by world leaders.