Uploaded on 2017-05-14 by Sophia Mark

1. Can you give a short overview of the national circumstances of your country? (e.g.population, land use, climate, economics, energy consumption, industry, transport etc.) Population Based on an estimate, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis currently expects that roughly 82.8 million people lived here at the end of 2016 Land use Agriculture is Germany’s biggest land user. More than half of the German land surface is farmed (over 18 million hectares; 51.7 percent). The second largest land user is forestry, which takes up nearly a third of the land area. 13.7 percent of the land surface is occupied by human settlements and transportation. This includes built-up and related land, transport infrastructure, industrial land (excluding mining land), recreational areas and cemeteries. As the overall picture shows, the use of land for farming and forestry has a major influence on nature in Germany. Changes in land use directly impact biodiversity. Climate Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though maximum temperatures can exceed 30 °C (86 °F) for several days in a row during heat waves. The warmest regions of Germany can be found in the south-west (see rhine rift, German Wine Route and Palatinate). Here summers can be hot with many days exceeding 30 °C (86 °F). Sometimes, minimum temperatures do not drop below 20 °C (68 °F), which is relatively rare in other regions. Economics The economy has experienced a few bumps in the road in 2015, but overall it appears to still be on steady footing. Consumer confidence reached a 13-year high in May, and the German government allocated €13.5 billion for infrastructure improvements and investment through 2018. The German economy is expected to grow by 1.9 percent in 2015 and remain there for 2016. Trade is important to Germany’s economy; the value of exports and imports taken together equals 86 percent of GDP. Energy consumption Energy in Germany is sourced predominantly by fossil fuels, followed by nuclear power, biomass (wood and biofuels), wind, hydro and solar. Germany intends to eliminate current use of nuclear power by 2022. The policy includes phasing out nuclear power, and progressive replacement of fossil fuels by renewables. Germany is the fifth-largest consumer of oil and the third-largest consumer of natural gas in the world, Germany imports more than half of its energy and has the largest national market of electricity in Europe. Industry The industry of Germany is the largest national economy in Europe and the fourth largest economy in the world. In the gross domestic product per capita, Germany was ranked ninth in Europe and ranked 18th in Europe. Important areas are industry and services; Transport The volume of traffic in Germany, especially goods transportation, is at a very high level due to its central location in Europe. Germany has a very dense transportation network.n 2016, the volume of seaborne goods loaded and unloaded increased by 0.1% compared with a year earlier. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that a total of 296.5 million tonnes of goods were handled in German sea ports that year. In 2016, 364 million tonnes of goods were transported on the public rail network in Germany. 2. What are the the main climateprocetion targets of your country in the protocol Germany met its climate protection target under the Kyoto Protocol in 2008 and remains a leader in international climate protection. In 2008 greenhouse gas emissions were 22.2 percent lower than in 1990. This corresponds to a reduction of almost 280 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. The main targets of the energy transformation are: • Renewable energies: - Renewable energies are to achieve an 18% share of gross final energy consumption by 2020, a 30% share by 2030, 45% by 2040 and 60% by 2050. - By 2020 renewables are to have a share of at least 35% in gross electricity consumption, a 50% share by 2030, 65% by 2040 and 80% by 2050. • Energy Efficiency: - Primary energy consumption is to fall by 20% by 2020 and by 50% by 2050. - Electricity consumption is to fall by 10% by 2020 and by 25% by 2050, compared to 2008. - Compared to 2008, heat demand in buildings is to be reduced by 20% by 2020, while primary energy demand is to fall by 80% by 2050. • Climate protection: - Climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced by 40% by 2020, 55% by 2030, 70% by 2040 and by 80 to 95% by 2050, compared to reference year 1990. 3. How does your country want to reach this target goals? The share of renewables in gross final energy consumption is to rise to 60 percent by 2050. Renewables are to make up a minimum of 80 percent of the country’s gross power consumption by the middle of the century. Germany's climate targets were put on paper in 2007 and have been upheld by all governments since. The energy concept and the decisions within the decisions on the transition of the energy system (“Energiewende”) include the development or revision of nine acts and ordinances. The main fields of action are: • Renewable energies as a cornerstone of future energy supply: • Energy efficiency as the key factor • An efficient grid infrastructure for electricity and integration of renewables • Energy upgrades for buildings and energy-efficient new build • The mobility challenge • Energy research towards innovation and new technologies • Energy supply in the European and international context • Acceptance and transparency To reduce carbon emissions in the transport sector and develop electro-mobility, Germany’s goal is to put one million electric cars on the streets by 2020 as well as increasing the share of biofuels. With this energy plan, Germany’s energy supply will become the most efficient and the most environmentally sound worldwide, whilst remaining affordable for both households and businesses. The “Energiewende” is a 40-year project, but Germany is already keeping track of the energy and climate package of 2008, which laid down the goals for 2020 (and which were taken up in the energy concept). 4. what is your opinion about your country*S approach of the environmental issues?(e.g. are the targets feasible? Is the approach feasible? Would you approach the problem in a different way? I think Germany is on a very good way . As the green party is the main leading force in renewable energy there is only one big problem that the other parties are breaking the rules and playing some other main rule to change the way into reusing nuclear power plants because it was their way before. While the green party works very hard on the targets and also to reach the goals the other parties are just not really convinced. Germany would not be that power country in renewable energies without the green party. I personally agree fully with the green party.