Germany to bring forward climate goals after constitutional court ruling

Government proposes net zero deadline of 2045 instead of 2050, but critics demand actions not numbers

Germany's government is to revise its emission reduction targets after the country's constitutional court declared the current climate protection measures insufficient, aiming to become greenhouse gas neutral by 2045 rather than 2050.

The finance minister, Olaf Scholz, and the environment minister, Svenja Schulze, laid out a legislative proposal on Wednesday to cut emissions by 65% from 1990 levels by 2030. An 88% reduction of carbon emissions is to be reached by 2040.