BERLIN (AP) – Germany’s top court has ruled that the government has to set clear goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2030, arguing that current legislation doesn’t go far enough in curbing climate change.
Several individuals backed by environmental groups had filed a complaint to the Constitutional Court arguing that their rights were impinged by the lack of sufficient targets beyond the next decade.
Germany, like other European Union countries, aims to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
In their ruling Thursday, judges said the current legislation “irreversibly pushes a very high burden of emissions reduction into the period after 2030.”
Judges cited the Paris accord goal of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), ideally 1.5 C (2.7 F) by the end of the century compared with pre-industrial times.
The court ordered the government to come up with new targets from 2030 onward by the end of next year.
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