- Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions declined by just 1.5 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
- Wind and solar power remained central to Germany’s emissions performance, said Julia Bläsius, director of Agora Energiewende Deutschland.
Germany’s carbon dioxide emissions declined by just 1.5 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, reflecting a slowdown in the country’s climate progress as the adoption of low-carbon technologies in buildings and transport continues to lag, according to a new report by energy think tank Agora Energiewende.
In its annual assessment released on Wednesday, Agora said the pace of emissions reduction in 2025 was significantly weaker than in the previous year, with cuts amounting to less than half of those recorded in 2024. While Germany still met its legally binding annual emissions target, the report warned that Europe’s largest economy is losing momentum in climate protection.
The think tank noted that the modest decline in emissions last year was driven largely by reduced output from energy-intensive industries, reflecting persistently weak demand and ongoing challenges in the industrial sector. Record levels of solar power generation also contributed to lower emissions. However, overall emissions reductions in the energy sector slowed, partly due to colder winter weather that increased energy demand.
Wind and solar power remained central to Germany’s emissions performance, said Julia Bläsius, director of Agora Energiewende Deutschland. She cautioned, however, that gains in the power sector are no longer sufficient to compensate for delays in decarbonising other parts of the economy.
“The electricity sector, which has so far been the main driver of emissions reductions, cannot make up for the slow progress in introducing climate-friendly technologies in transport and buildings,” Bläsius said.
Although sales of heat pumps and electric vehicles increased in 2025, Agora said high upfront investment costs continue to limit faster deployment of electricity-based technologies across industry, buildings and transport.
The report also highlighted the need for faster expansion of renewable energy capacity. Germany recorded its highest number of newly commissioned onshore wind turbines in the first half of 2025 in eight years. However, the German wind energy association, Bundesverband WindEnergie (BWE), said installations remain insufficient to meet official targets.
BWE president Bärbel Heidebroek warned in July that the current pace of wind power expansion still falls short of the legally mandated goals under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). Germany aims to install 10 gigawatts of wind capacity annually to ensure renewables account for 80 per cent of electricity generation by 2030.