Germany is setting new goals for countries pursuing greener goals. In 2023, Europe’s biggest economy made a record by registering the lowest coal usage in over seventy years. The low consumption of coal energy was something that was unforeseen and created a huge uproar. However, Germany has been working towards attaining it for a long time and has bigger goals in the future.
By adopting green energy sources such as wind and solar power it is targeting to have net zero emissions by 2045. A study by Agora Energiewende think tank has shed light on the fact that Germany contributed 673 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023. This number is a huge decline from what it has emitted in 2022. The think tank recorded a decline of almost 73 million metric tons.
Per the statements by the Germany Federal Network Agency, the organization has been dependent solely upon renewable sources of energy for a long time now. Simultaneously, a significant decline in the use of coal plants has been noted with it decreasing by almost 8.9%. With the cost of nuclear energy rising after the war in Ukraine, Germany also put an end to almost three of its nuclear-based companies.
However, the decline in coal energy dependency is also an indication of the production and economic crisis that the country was living through. Due to unforeseen circumstances, it also had to face shortages, crises, and weaknesses that hindered its production capacity.