Blueprint Germany

Drastic reductions of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 2050 are needed to limit the rise in the global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. An international roadmap towards such reductions will succeed only if industrialised na-tions lower their emissions enough to give emerging nations some “wiggle room” in their greenhouse gas allowances to further develop their economies and increase pros-perity.

To achieve such a target by 2050, Germany would have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by some 95% from 1990 emission levels, which would mean per-capita emissions in 2050 of less than one metric ton of greenhouse gases.

This study examines possible greenhouse gas emission trends and—taking into ac-count aspects of political strategy and what is technically and economically viable, and with a view to key policy approaches—formulates responses to the challenge of what can and must be done on a technical level and what the appropriate policies should be.