On May 18, 2026, the Expert Council on Climate Issues presented its review report on Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions in Berlin. The report analyzes Germany’s progress towards achieving climate neutrality by 2045 and assesses whether the federal government is meeting its self-imposed climate targets.
The five members of the Expert Council, who have been working independently since their establishment in autumn 2020, recently criticized the federal government’s climate protection program as inadequate. They pointed out that the current plans of the coalition of the CDU and SPD could jeopardize the transition away from fossil fuels.
The Expert Council has a legal mandate to monitor compliance with climate goals. If it finds that the established pathway targets have been exceeded in two consecutive years, the federal government is required to improve its climate protection measures. However, the previous year’s report indicated that there were no exceedances of the targets.
According to the current report from the Federal Environment Agency, greenhouse gas emissions have only decreased minimally, underscoring the urgency of measures needed to meet climate goals.
