ABSTRACT

In 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel followed the cue of previous national leaders in announcing that the country would reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020. But consumer revolt about electricity prices, inaction by the country’s powerful auto industry, and technological hurdles made that goal look increasingly unreachable – until the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year. Now, in the equivalent of a come-from-behind goal just before the final whistle, it looks like Germany did reach its target. According to a new analysis (https://www.agora-energiewende.de/en/press/press-releases/corona-year-2020-record-declines-in-carbon-emissions-and-coal-power/) by the German energy think tank Agora Energiewende, it cut overall emissions by 42 percent from 1990 levels. But as the climate crisis intensifies, is even one of the world’s most disciplined and hard-working climate players ambitious enough?

摘要

2010年，德国总理安格拉·默克尔（Angela Merkel）遵循前任国家领导人的指示，宣布该国到2020年将其温室气体排放总量减少40％。但是，消费者对电价，该国强大的汽车工业不采取行动以及技术障碍感到反感。使这一目标看起来越来越难以实现–直到去年COVID-19大流行之前。现在，这就像在最后的哨声响起之前的一个来之不易的目标一样，德国似乎确实达到了目标。根据一项新的分析（https://www.agora-energiewende.de/en/press/press-releases/corona-year-2020-record-declines-in-carbon-emissions-and-coal-power/），德国能源智囊团Agora Energiewende，它的整体排放量比1990年减少了42％。但是随着气候危机的加剧，