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Frankfurt, Germany: Germany's greenhouse gas emission cuts slowed sharply in 2025 as the North Sea experienced its warmest year on record, piling pressure Wednesday on the government to boost climate protection efforts.
Emissions in Europe's largest economy fell by just 1.5 percent from the previous year, according to a study by climate think tank Agora Energiewende, lower than the three-percent drop in 2024 and 10 percent the year before that.
If the current trend continues, Germany risks failing to hit its medium-term goal of cutting emissions by 65 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2030, said 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."
When burnt, fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide that trap heat near the Earth's surface, driving climate change and global temperature rises.
Highlighting the worsening picture, Germany's BSH maritime affairs agency reported Wednesday that the North Sea experienced its warmest year on record in 2025.
"The North Sea reached an average temperature of 11.6C, the highest value in the BSH's data series since 1969," Tim Kruschke, head of the agency's climate team, said in a statement.
