BERLIN, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power production in Germany dropped by 15 percent in the first half (H1) of 2019, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) announced on Thursday.
CO2 emissions fell from 136 million tons to an estimated 116 million tons in the period between January and the end of June, according to BDEW.
"This shows once again that the energy industry is making massive efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Its emissions in 2020 are expected to be almost 40 percent lower than in 1990," said BDEW Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stefan Kapferer.
BDEW noted that the decline in CO2 emissions was "attributable to various factors," including the mild weather, the increased CO2 price in emissions trading and a record share of renewables in Germany's energy mix.
The share of green electricity in Germany climbed to a record high of 44 percent of power consumption in the first half of 2019. The figure for the same period last year was 39 percent.
"Now the transport and heating sectors must also finally meet their specifications for climate protection," Kapferer said, calling for effective CO2 pricing in these sectors.
In September, the German government is planning to adopt measures to boost climate protection in order to achieve its medium-term national climate targets.
The German government, however, remains divided over the question of how to achieve the carbon reductions. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) is calling for a flat tax on CO2, while several members of the conservative CDU-CSU union are opposed to such a tax and support CO2 pricing via emissions trading.
