The German federal government has set itself the target of achieving an 80–95 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 2050 compared to 1990. In addition to considerably increasing energy efficiency, this also requires an increase in the use of electricity from renewable energy sources in all consumption sectors – industry, buildings and mobility. Furthermore, all the producers and consumers from the various sectors must be brought together in a smart energy system and the appropriate technical infrastructures must be created. It is now clear that Germany could set a climate target for 2050 that exceeds the previous range of figures.

As part of EU negotiations in June 2019, the federal government supported the attempt to become carbon neutral by 2050. All in all, this would mean that Germany and the EU would not be permitted to create greenhouse gas emissions that exceeded what they either eliminated elsewhere or collected from the atmosphere. A target of carbon neutrality would create clarity. At the same time, it would also require the consideration of new approaches. dena lists the challenges resulting from this, which have not yet been fully addressed in the German debate.