Germany’s Emissions Cuts Slow as North Sea Hits Record Heat

AFP/APP

Frankfurt: Germany’s progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions slowed sharply in 2025, as the North Sea recorded its warmest year on record, increasing pressure on the conservative-led government to accelerate climate protection measures.

According to climate think tank Agora Energiewende, emissions in Europe’s largest economy fell by only 1.5 percent last year, down from a 3 percent decline in 2024 and 10 percent in 2023.

If the current trend continues, Germany risks missing its medium-term goal of reducing emissions by 65 percent from 1990 levels by 2030, warned Julia Blaesius, the think tank’s Germany director.

“Germany is losing ground on climate protection,” Blaesius told a press conference. “The 2030 target is still achievable, but it’s subject to major uncertainties.”

Burning fossil fuels emits greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, which trap heat near the Earth’s surface, driving global temperature rises and climate change.

Highlighting the urgency, Germany’s BSH maritime affairs agency reported Wednesday that the North Sea reached an average temperature of 11.6°C in 2025, the highest value in its records since 1969, according to Tim Kruschke, head of the agency’s climate team.

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The findings may increase pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose government has faced criticism for policies that critics argue undermine climate protection efforts. 

Merz’s coalition has opposed an EU plan to ban new combustion-engine car sales from 2035, agreed to scrap a law requiring new heating systems to rely mostly on renewable energy, and proposed cutting solar energy subsidies while building new gas-fired power stations.

Blaesius stressed that 2025 was a “transition year” with relatively few clear decisions due to the change in government, but warned that “the emissions trend makes it clear that we need more speed.” She highlighted upcoming legislative overhauls on renewable energy and heating as “crucial” to meeting Germany’s climate goals.

Last year’s modest emissions reduction was largely driven by declines in energy-intensive industries amid economic stagnation and record solar power generation, according to Agora. However, emissions from transport and buildings increased, highlighting “years of insufficient progress” in the adoption of electric vehicles and heat pumps. 

Germany’s 2025 emissions totaled 640 million tonnes, down nine million tonnes from 2024, and overall emissions are now 49 percent below 1990 levels. The country aims for greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.

Some positive momentum was observed: around 300,000 environmentally friendly heat pumps were sold in 2025, surpassing gas boilers for the first time, and new electric vehicle registrations surged to about one-fifth of all cars sold, recovering from a difficult 2024.

Blaesius added that debates over issues such as the combustion-engine ban are slowing progress. “These debates don’t help the businesses that need to move ahead with e-mobility. And they don’t help consumers either,” she said.